All levels of government need a clear investment strategy to elevate our trade productivity or Canada will not recover from the economic impact of the current trade war, MHCA President & CEO Chris Lorenc says.
MHCA, with other leading business organizations, has promoted critical steps to ensuring the opportunity within this crisis the US has triggered is not lost and the economy, ultimately, emerges stronger, Lorenc told the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce annual Civic Leaders Dinner April 23.
Emphasizing that Trump’s trade war has impacted all parts of Canada, Lorenc outlined a four-pronged national strategy to reduce dependence on the U.S., which includes eliminating internal trade barriers, expanding resource exports across all directions, leveraging existing and new trade agreements and investing in infrastructure projects that improve trade efficiency.
But economic recovery and long-term growth require not only federal action but coordinated efforts at the municipal and provincial levels, he stressed.
This includes redefining service responsibilities, developing a new fiscal framework and enhancing economic leadership in Winnipeg. Specific recommendations include appointing a Chief Economic Development Officer, conducting a provincial review of service delivery roles and negotiating a new fiscal deal that may shift municipal taxation from property to income-based models.
Members of the MHCA board, including Lorenc attended the annual Civic Leaders Dinner, which connects members with Mayor Scott Gillingham, city councillors and senior staff for direct conversations on key business issues.
The MHCA is a founding sponsor of the event.
