Finance committee  I opened my remarks about the fiscal situation of our country with the comment that there are a lot of priorities and pressures on the budget each year. We recognize that here in P.E.I. we've seen significant investment in infrastructure, in our airport, our port, our Trans-Canada Highway, and I could go on.

Finance committee  Most certainly. I think we're acknowledging that what is happening south of the border could have a short-term or long-term impact on our businesses in Canada, both small business and corporations. I'll note that P.E.I. has the largest entrepreneurial entrance per capita of any province in the country.

Finance committee  We have, obviously, been focused on what is happening south of the border. To answer your question, in 2017 P.E.I.'s exports to the U.S. were $1 billion, so it's significant for our province and our economy. In terms of CETA and the Pacific trade agreement, I have a couple of things to build on what Jennifer said before.

Finance committee  We understand that the Province of P.E.I. has submitted a detailed climate change action plan to the federal government as of the September 1 deadline, aimed at addressing the responsibility that we all hold in combatting climate change. The plan has not been made public. We've been in contact with the provincial government to try to get an understanding of what that made-in-P.E.I. solution is.

Finance committee  Clearly, we understand that government must identify many pressures and priorities when developing a budget. We certainly cited concerns with a projected deficit of over $18 billion in the 2018 budget and the lack of planning to get to balance. I think there is a concern. As we've seen over the last year, we need to be in the mindset that when times are good government should be looking for ways to address the country's growing deficit, not add to it.

Finance committee  We certainly followed that process very carefully as it unfolded. As Jennifer, our president, mentioned, reasonableness has to fill the lack of clarity for our members. One thing that we hear around our table is that we want to have open dialogue with government and not be hosting town halls across the country about tax changes.

Finance committee  Thanks, Jennifer. I'm going to talk a bit about carbon pricing, a topic that is familiar to all of you and a hot topic across the country. Business and industry remain committed to moving toward a low-carbon economy, with innovation and ingenuity being applied in support of this across many sectors.

Finance committee  I'll touch on this specifically, having received hundreds and hundreds of submissions from our members. I think what we heard consistently on the proposal around passive income was, as you mentioned, that these dollars, this investment in their business, is being used for rainy days when there's economic downturn in order to make payroll, to keep their employees there, and to support the business, but I think even more importantly, it's there for investment in the business.

Finance committee  As a chamber, we didn't make any recommendation in our submission on this topic to extend the consultation. We recommended a comprehensive review that actually involved tax specialists and businesses versus legislation being drafted and, frankly, rushed through. I would say for the consultation period we weren't suggesting an extension, but a more comprehensive review and perhaps an economic impact assessment on the proposal is needed.

Finance committee  I had the opportunity to present as a witness last evening with the Standing Committee on Immigration and international students were an important topic that was discussed. I don't have any specific stats for you. I know that in Atlantic Canada we have the fastest growing international student population.

Finance committee  Thank you. Good morning, Chair and standing committee members. The Greater Charlottetown Area Chamber of Commerce is pleased to be here today to serve as the voice for close to 1,000 members in the greater Charlottetown area. We provide services, opportunities, and advocacy support for members to enhance their ability to do business.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I'm glad you brought that up. We are actually exploring a pilot right now that is mentoring-related. It has components of networking and liaising new grads, new immigrants, and interprovincial newcomers to P.E.I. with leaders in various sectors. We continue to hear from newcomers to P.E.I. broadly—I'm speaking about local grads, international grads, immigrants, and interprovincial newcomers—that sometimes it's who you know.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I don't. I know that we have the highest international student population per capita in both of our post-secondary institutions here in P.E.I., but I don't have the retention numbers specifically for international students. As mentioned, I do think that the international student stream of the AIP has potential, but I think it will take until next year before we see that uptake.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  I think there's an interest, but there are probably still some barriers that exist. We hear that from students from post-secondary. Perhaps the AIP will be an opportunity to educate employers on how the opportunities have opened up. We do see, as I mentioned earlier, some added pressure and increasing demand for new grads to have work experience pre-grad.

Citizenship and Immigration committee  As a chamber of commerce, we love to talk about tax reduction for business owners, for consumers, and for retail. I'm leaving P.E.I. in about 15 minutes to drive to Halifax to present to the Standing Committee on Finance tomorrow morning. I suspect that conversation is going to focus a lot on taxes.