One thing I can tell you after decades of work with the business leaders of Alberta is that each and every one loves this country. They are passionate and patriotic Canadians who want the best for this country and their fellow citizens.
Underlying that passion for Canada is a worry; a worry that Canada is on the wrong path and has been for some time. That worry is shared broadly; less than a third of Canadians feel we are on the right track, but this isn’t just a matter of public perception. It’s a fact. We are declining or underperforming on virtually every economic metric, and our international stature and strength are greatly diminished.
We are now under threat from our neighbour—someone who up until now was our closest ally and partner. Tariffs could significantly impact the $1 trillion bilateral trade relationship between the two nations—a trading relationship that is top two in the world depending on the year, and by many other measures is the most comprehensive between any two countries on earth. Ever. And tariffs are just the beginning. Canada is in a weakened position globally and domestically. Much of it a result of decisions we have made, and without action, we will lose much of what generations before us fought to build and defend.
Right now, optimism is in short supply. Only five percent of Canadians believe the next generation will be better off than today. More Canadians believe in Bigfoot than believe their children will be better off. Let that sink in.
More than half of people are skeptical that economic growth translates to better wages, and a strong majority fear that growth will only make their cost of living rise. Meanwhile, businesses face a challenging environment, with sluggish investment, stagnant productivity, regulatory bottlenecks, and policies that hinder both competitiveness and innovation.
Canadians want a strong Canada. They want a good life. They deserve both.
A strong Canada and a good life need a strong economy. One that is the envy of the world. One that offers good paycheques and opportunities, nurtures and attracts the best and brightest, and is able to withstand threats and challenges, even from our closest friends. We will always be in a better position if we are stronger, safer, and more prosperous at home.
We have everything we need to achieve this: the natural resources the world wants; a highly skilled workforce; amazing innovators and entrepreneurs; and an enviable piece of land on this planet. Now is the time to come together and make it happen; time to get on the right path, become a strong Canada, and offer Canadians a good life.
An actionable path for Canada’s next government
If we get this right, Canadians will thrive over the long term. That’s why our Council has assembled a list of specific and actionable policy recommendations for the next government of Canada across key areas that will ensure Canadians can have a good life. Over the next while we’ll be exploring them in The Hub with essays, videos, and more (we may have to break a bit for an election in there). We believe that together we can build a stronger, more welcoming, and prosperous country—one we are all proud to call home.
It comes down to three things. We can build a strong Canada and a good life when we:
- Build and trade. We need to unleash Canada’s potential by expanding natural resource development, fixing major project approval processes, and strengthening all types of trade to reach new markets around the world.
- Invest in ourselves. We must train Canadians for high-paying jobs, improve access to education and skilled trades, fix our immigration system to attract and integrate the best educated and trained people from around the world, and advance economic reconciliation for Indigenous Peoples.
- Compete and win. Which requires a laser-focus on business competitiveness, investment attraction, and innovation; retracting and repealing bad policies; and implementing a new pragmatic environmental approach.
If you’re on board for that, you would be correct in asking “So how do we do that, specifically?”
Well, here are ten bold ten bold actions for a stronger Canada and a better life. These are things we think Canada’s next government—whatever colour or shape that takes—should implement immediately. Because at the end of the day, this is the good work that must be done on behalf of Canadians:
1. Unleash Canada’s natural resource sector potential including energy, food, forest products, and critical minerals
We need to champion our natural resources globally, and we need a strategy—a national resource export strategy. And from that, we can cut regulatory red tape, get projects built faster, embrace innovation, solve labour shortages, encourage Canadian value-added production, connect rural communities, and ensure Indigenous Peoples are full partners in economic activity.
2. Fix our immigration system to meet the needs of the workforce
Immigration levels must be tethered to what our communities can handle in terms of the supply of housing, public services, and jobs. We must again prioritize merit and market demands through a refined selection process, and reform settlement funding to better set newcomers up for success.
3. Train Canadians for jobs needed now and, in the future
This means ensuring sufficient enrolment capacity for people to study in their home province, expanding skilled trades programs, and incenting more labour market training.
4. Strengthen our military, borders, and Arctic defence
Fulfilling our international commitments, securing our borders, investing in defence personnel and equipment, and developing our resources for North American defence manufacturing are all intertwined imperatives.
5. Mandate the elimination of interprovincial trade and labour mobility barriers
People follow incentives, not advice, and we need to incent premiers to match Alberta’s reduced trade and labour mobility barriers between provinces within 90 days and reduce all remaining barriers within one year. Free and easy trade with ourselves should not be up for debate.
6. Improve trade with the U.S. and the rest of the world
Resolving bilateral frictions, clarifying Canada’s strategic role in North American security through food, energy, critical minerals, and technology contributions, enhancing trade infrastructure and stability, and cultivating new trade partnerships around the world are both in, and crucial to, our national interest.
7. Build major projects and infrastructure
Beyond election cycles, Canada needs a bold 10-year national infrastructure plan. This means swiftly approving critical projects, streamlining regulations to attract investment, empowering provinces, modernizing our ports to enhance global competitiveness, and establishing loan guarantees to accelerate project delivery.
8. Create a pragmatic environmental policy
To ensure Canada’s environmental leadership, we must adopt a pragmatic approach that aligns environmental stewardship with economic growth. This means embracing a global perspective on emissions reduction, prioritizing technology-based solutions that drive innovation, and investing in climate adaptation and resiliency.
9. Grow jobs and investment in Canada by focusing on competitiveness
Immediately reverse harmful policies including discriminatory emissions caps, unworkable electricity regulations and greenwashing provisions, and taxes on capital that make Canada less competitive. Conduct a tax review to eliminate barriers to work and investment, and make life—and especially air travel—more affordable.
10. Make Canada a top-tier technology developer and deployer
To be truly top-tier in tech, we must proactively cultivate an environment conducive to innovation. This means promoting Canada as a leader in ethical and responsible AI and data centre development, establishing ourselves as the premier destination for industrial, ag, and clean tech, supporting the growth of Canadian innovators, and strengthening our intellectual property framework to ensure that Canadian ingenuity drives our economic future.
Every one of these actions is backed up by research, and immediately implementable one-page policy briefs. We invite you to read these ideas and the policy behind them; discuss them, debate them, and more than anything, push our elected leaders to act on them.
A rally to the flag
Canada’s future is not predetermined. With the right policies and leadership, we can reclaim our position as an economic powerhouse. We can ensure that hard work is rewarded, opportunities are abundant, and life remains affordable for all Canadians. The choices we make now will define the nation we leave for future generations.
Because here’s the thing: while the geopolitical events of the day are giving urgency, all these are things we should do anyway, even if we weren’t facing economic and tariff dangers.
The time for action is now. It’s time to get Canada back on the right path—to build a strong Canada and ensure a good life for all.
This article is made possible by the Business Council of Alberta and readers like you. Donate today.
