Finance committee  I would agree with that because we have very different jurisdictions. As I said, blanket policies are not applicable in this case and also when we talk about the clean electricity regulations.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  I think that it's an interesting issue to contemplate. The Bank of Canada governor did speak to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce in September, and he also made the point that it's a very small amount of money, but, when you look to change behaviour, if you go back to the publications of the Ecofiscal Commission by Chris Ragan out of McGill, if there is a desire to change behaviour, a carbon tax is the best way to do it.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. We just hosted John Graham, head of the CPP, in Calgary on Tuesday. What we've said the government needs to be mindful of is respecting that the Alberta government can make the decisions it wants to proceed with. We're concerned about certainty, about portability and about the fact that this represents generational change.

Finance committee  Every business's success today depends on the adoption of technology. When we look at numbers right now and our economic productivity, when we rank 29 out of the OECD countries in terms of economic productivity per capita, it's absolutely critical that the technology option is spread throughout the economy.

Finance committee  I think we should absolutely do that to make sure that we retain the IP. The point made when that announcement was made in Calgary by the CEO of the company was that, if the support wasn't there the company probably would have been sold because they were looking at a sale. This way the IP stays in Canada, and we need to make sure we do more of that to allow the companies that have developed something that is proving to be successful....

Finance committee  We advocate for making sure that the path for credentialing is very clear so that people have access to programs to upscale, re-skill and gain their credentials in Alberta. I would like to point out that the Alberta government has put in a policy for attracting nurses from around the world, and we have been able to get them through a program at Mount Royal University.

Finance committee  We are of the view, absolutely, when we talk about the affordability issue, that not every jurisdiction is created equally. In fact, we did write an op-ed that appeared in the Calgary Herald addressing that very issue. It was framed on the clean electricity regulations. Not only are we in a jurisdiction that depends on natural gas for home heating, but it's also very critical to our grid infrastructure.

Finance committee  What we were trying to point out is that, when we look at small businesses as the engine of this country from an economic standpoint, we need to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to have a sustainable business. When there is an element of unfairness in a policy, that's something we are obviously very much interested in highlighting, because we need to be competitive as a country, and I think this speaks to something else.

Finance committee  Yes, it was probably a minute or a minute and a half.

Finance committee  Okay. Really what I wanted to highlight was the importance of innovation in the energy sector, so I'll just talk about that. Our legacy in the energy sector has led to Alberta businesses being the pioneers of sustainable energy products, and decarbonization technology is critical to achieving Canada's ambitious climate goals.

Finance committee  Am I done?

Finance committee  Thank you. My name is Deborah Yedlin. I am the president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce. Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge that I am delivering these remarks on traditional Treaty No. 6 territory. On behalf of our member businesses, I want to thank you for the opportunity to share our recommended investment, regulatory and legislative priorities for budget 2024.