Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and members of the committee.
On behalf of the Mississauga Board of Trade, thank you for the opportunity to appear before you on this very timely study on labour shortages and productivity issues faced by our small and medium-sized enterprises. I would particularly like to acknowledge MP Iqwinder Gaheer for inviting us to be with you today.
Since 1961, the Mississauga Board of Trade has been the voice of business in Mississauga, with close to 1,000 members in virtually every sector of the economy. Mississauga is truly one of the most diversified urban economies in Canada.
The city of Mississauga is home to Canada's largest international airport, Toronto Pearson, and as such contains most airport employment zone businesses, serviced by most of the 400-series highways and both CN and CP rail lines. Mississauga, in many ways, is the goods movement and supply chain capital of southern Ontario, if not Canada as a whole.
Committee members will appreciate that labour challenges have long existed, well before the COVID-19 pandemic, and have simply been exacerbated by this situation. While there is no magic bullet to solve our labour shortages, which exist in both skilled and unskilled labour, the government should work closely with industry to consider new programs around training and supports, as well as worker-focused immigration policies, and work with the provinces, territories, and professional and labour associations to provide for better recognition of foreign-trained credentials and an efficient pathway for newcomers to bring their relevant skills and experience to where they are needed most in the labour market.
Regulatory burdens and bureaucracy also play a role in the difficulty in recruiting and hiring new employees. The Mississauga Board of Trade sponsored a resolution before the Canadian Chamber of Commerce a couple of years ago, calling for an expedited review of the national occupational codes to ensure these match up with the realities of the job market today in Canada and the need to include new categories to keep up with industry demand, technological advancement and an economy in transition.
There has been much in the news lately concerning supply chain issues, both within Canada and around the world. As a major logistics hub in southern Ontario, we know first-hand from our members about this very significant challenge. Some of this, of course, is the marketplace functioning, with impacts on production and transportation of goods stemming from a wide variety of reasons. However, government regulations and how agencies like the CBSA, Health Canada and others operate can have the effect of slowing down effective and efficient goods movement and should be constantly reviewed by the government.
Of course, current levels of inflation are a significant concern for the business community, and small and medium-sized enterprises specifically. For many of these firms, the impacts of the pandemic are far from over, as they struggle with all kinds of cost pressures on their businesses, not to mention the significant levels of debt that has been incurred as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The government should look closely at its own fiscal policies to ensure it is not adding to inflationary pressures through the impact that taxes, fees and other charges have on the cost of virtually everything.
We often talk about a competitive Canada that can compete and win in the global economy. There is much truth to this, and Canadian companies are agile and adaptable. At the Mississauga Board of Trade, we promote trade diversification and expose our members to opportunities in markets where Canada has a competitive advantage. Canada's free trade agenda should be applauded and aggressively promoted so that we see more Canadian companies successfully competing with the best in the world.
We would encourage the government to review, modernize and update the Competition Act, the Privacy Act and any other regulations that hinder an open and competitive marketplace or permit frivolous cases to be brought forward by competitors. Together with a competitive tax regime, this would also position Canada to better compete with other developed markets for foreign direct investment, which in turn brings new business opportunities to thousands of small and medium-sized businesses across the country.
There is no question that the federal government stepped up to support small and medium-sized businesses and their workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. However, I would be remiss not to emphasize that we are now in the so-called financial long COVID phase of recovery, and government must recognize the significant challenges businesses will undoubtedly face with debt repayment and a prolonged period in returning to pre-COVID-19 business levels in many sectors of the economy.
Again, thank you for the opportunity to address the committee today. I look forward to the question session.