Good morning, everyone.
My name is Charles Milliard, and I am the president and chief executive officer of the Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec, or FCCQ. I am joined by my colleague Mathieu Lavigne, director of public and economic affairs.
The federation—which I believe you are familiar with—represents nearly 130 chambers of commerce across Quebec and also has 1,300 member companies. So we represent almost 50,000 businesses across Quebec.
Thank you for the opportunity this morning to share our expectations and recommendations as part of the federal government's 2022‑23 budget preparation.
In addition to the tax measures that fall under the Department of Finance, our recommendations also concern a great many areas and portfolios related to prosperous, green and inclusive economic development, which is our priority at the federation.
Given the limited amount of time we have this morning, I will talk about three main issues—out of the measures put forward—we are focusing on: the labour shortage challenge, public finances and, of course, regional and life sciences development.
As you know, the labour shortage is the biggest challenge Quebec and Canadian businesses are facing right now. It is manifesting across all businesses and sectors, and it is continuing to worsen and to impede our collective growth. The federation feels that the 2022‑23 budget is a golden opportunity for the Government of Canada to focus on that priority, and we refer to it in several respects in our brief. I have a few worthwhile recommendations for you.
First, we are advocating to modernize the employment insurance program to refocus it on its primary mission, to be insurance providing income support that encourages claimants to seek new employment and thereby enhance their skills.
Second is the adoption of measures, including tax measures, that would foster the retention of experienced workers who want to remain employed. I remind you that those incentives, as minor as they may be, may lead to people wanting to remain in the workforce for one, two or three additional days a week. That would ultimately be instrumental for many Quebec and Canadian business owners.
Third is the sustainability of the agreement between Ottawa and Quebec on the relief measures for the temporary foreign worker program, or TFWP, which was just announced and which we feel should remain in place for a long time.
Our second priority is the matter of public finances. We have said this already, but I am taking the time to reiterate it this morning: the FCCQ has approved the current government's public financial management decisions during the pandemic, especially its willingness to create programs to support the Quebec economy. Those programs have been expensive, yes, but they have also helped preserve our entrepreneurial fabric and our collective social fabric across the country.
In the current context, the federation feels that the government's priority is to implement the conditions needed for a robust economic recovery of businesses by avoiding any tax increases in the coming years and by continuing to financially support businesses in sectors that are still struggling to recover. Among others, I am thinking of the events sector and the international tourism sector.
We clearly wish to see the government continue its healthy obsession, so to speak, with the gross debt‑to‑GDP ratio to ensure the long–term sustainability of public finances and of the Canadian business environment.
Our third, but not least, priority is regional development. For the federation, the economic recovery that is beginning must be inclusive, but it must also benefit all of our Quebec and Canadian regions. To that end, the FCCQ would like to see the government help regional businesses move forward on issues of particular interest to them. Here are a few examples: needs in sustainable mobility, public transit and transportation electrification; the implementation, sooner rather than later, of extremely growth-generating programs such as Via Rail's high-frequency train, or HFT; and the very pressing need for investments in a number of regional airports in Canada. We absolutely need to have regional airports that are operational and that have a stable and sustainable service offer.
In closing, I would be remiss if I did not mention the importance of also maintaining a strong and dynamic Canadian pharmaceutical industry, and I believe the committee has a role to play in that respect. The events of these past two years have shown the importance for a country like Canada to be able to count on a solid and innovative pharmaceutical sector that also has the support of our public institutions.
Although the changes proposed to the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board have once again been postponed—this time until July 2022—we reiterate that this reform is problematic for Quebeckers' and Canadians' access to new medications.
That reform project must absolutely be reviewed with industry partners to reflect this new reality and this importance of having some pharmaceutical sovereignty in Canada, among other things.
We will be pleased to participate in the discussions and we thank you for inviting us to appear before the committee.