The Canadian Chamber of Commerce and its nationwide network of chambers of commerce, including the Yorkton Chamber of Commerce, unveiled its Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness list for 2013.
The Top 10 Barriers to Competitiveness is an initiative the Canadian chamber network undertook last year to draw attention to the barriers that are holding back Canada's progress and to urge all levels of governments to act more swiftly in increasing our country's ability to compete globally.
Canadian Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Perrin Beatty declared the initial year of the initiative a success. "As we take stock of the first year of the Top 10, many of the items we listed were addressed in the course of 2012," he states.
"Our members recorded a major victory when our appeal for change to the regulatory processes around natural resource projects was overwhelmingly accepted by the government. For a country so dependent on the success of natural resource projects, making a more efficient process is a huge competitor to competitiveness."
The Canadian Chamber network's number one issue in 2012 was Canada's skills shortage. We were very satisfied to hear the Prime Minister also identify skills as a major priority issue of his government," adds Beatty.
Yorkton Chamber of Commerce President Amie Zamonsky agrees. "Businesses in Saskatchewan, and especially in the Yorkton area, know first-hand the need for skilled labour," she says. "We are pleased that the Canadian Chamber network intends to maintain its focus on skill in 2013, particularly in addressing four key areas: upskilling, immigration policies, education-employment alignment and Aboriginal education and workforce development."
Other Barriers identified by the Canadian Chamber network include: Barriers to world markets for Canadian energy products; Inadequate workforce productivity; Inadequate public infrastructure planning; Tax complexity and structure; Poor innovation performance; Deficient strategies for trade success in new markets; Internal barriers to trade; Uncompetitive travel and tourism strategies; and Lack of access to capital.
Consult the Top 10 Barriers to Com-petitiveness document at Chamber.ca or yorktonchamber.com
