Chamber Q1 and Q2 Advocacy Review

Policy & Advocacy

Q1 and Q2 Advocacy Review

 

January

 
  • The London Chamber of Commerce ran our 2024 Advocacy Survey in order to better understand what our members' needs are and how we can address them. We collected recommendations for all levels of government and used the results to better formulate our advocacy strategy for the coming year.
 
  • The Business Confidence Survey report was released for the fourth quarter of 2023 which took a look at businesses economic outlook and how the labour market was performing. This report by the Business Data Lab showed some promising trends for the start of the new year with less businesses reporting challenges in labour, finances, and supply chains.
 

February

 
  • The London Chamber of Commerce advocated for the federal government to reconsider its cap on international student visas; and further advocated for the provincial government to ensure that student visas were distributed to institutions that had demonstrated their capacity to accommodate these students. We also wrote a letter of support for Fanshawe College. 
  • Thanks in part to the advocacy work by the London Chamber of Commerce, the Ontario Basic Beer Tax is frozen for two years. This is expected to result in tax savings of $32 million in 2024 and $60 million over the next two years. 
 
  • The Chamber continued to call for changes to the Federal Alcohol Excise Tax which would see a price increase of nearly 5% in April. 

March

 
  • The London Chamber of Commerce in partnership with other industry leaders advocated for a change to the Federal Alcohol Excise Tax. The Government announced that the tax would be capped at 2% for the next two years instead of the scheduled 4.7%. This saves the average craft brewer $86,952 across 2024 and 2025.
 
  • CEO Graham Henderson meets with CTV News London in order to discuss the upcoming provincial budget and speaks about priorities and expectations for the provincial government.
 

April

 
  • The London Chamber of Commerce releases their report on the Canadian Federal Budget for 2024 which assesses and reflects on how this budget will affect the local business landscape. This report restates the importance of collaboration between government and industry stakeholders in order to ensure that these policies result in a prosperous country.
 
  • The Canadian Chamber’s Business Data Lab releases their Business Conditions Survey for the first quarter of 2024. This report showed some encouraging economic growth across Canada as various labour issues have eased across the past two years. Despite the growth, overall business sentiment remains low and there are still large concerns about inflation and the cost of borrowing.
 
  • In a significant advocacy win, the London Chamber of Commerce celebrated the successful allocation of international student visas to Fanshawe College, safeguarding critical programs and economic contributions to the local community. While the Chamber is pleased with the 2024 allocation of international student visas to Fanshawe, we are also aware of the challenges that persist with the Ontario college sector, particularly concerning underfunding and reliance on international student enrollment.
 
  • COO, Kristen Duever attended the Ontario Chamber AGM where she presented London’s paper on “Expanding Access to Employment Ontario”, a paper that received majority support from delegates. 
 


May

 
  • In May, the London Chamber has been busy finalizing federal policy papers to submit to the Canadian Chamber in advance of the CCC AGM. The papers submitted by the London Chamber included “Getting Canada Back to Fiscal Balance” - focussing on debt/deficit issues; and “Reviewing the Artificial Intelligence Data Act” - a paper that recommended changes to this act to help ensure that Canada remains competitive in this industry.

Chamber Q1 and Q2 Advocacy Review