Welcome Message

A message on behalf of Perrin Beatty (President and CEO, Canadian Chamber of Commerce) regarding "Buy American"

Dear Chamber Member:

As concerns over the management of the Canada-U.S. border and the "Buy American" provisions in the U.S. stimulus package continue to grow, I want to report on the Canadian Chamber's activities and suggest some steps we can take together to promote an open border.

On Tuesday, Shirley-Ann George, our Senior Vice-President, Policy, joined other businesspeople in meeting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano. The discussion included the need to ensure a secure and border with predictable and short wait times, especially for trusted goods and people. They also talked about plans for next week's rollout of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative.

In advance of the new WHTI requirements coming into force on June 1, both CNN and The Economist carried interviews with the Canadian Chamber in which we stressed the need for close cooperation to keep the border open.

We will continue to work with the Canadian and U.S. governments and other associations to resist the thickening of the border. We are currently updating our February 2008 border report on which we partnered with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more than 40 other Canadian and U.S. associations. This new report will be released in July.

Another major concern for Canadian business is the "Buy American" provisions in the U.S. stimulus package. These damaging measures are contrary to the G20 commitment to not raise trade and investment barriers. They prevent Canadian companies from bidding on many state and municipal government projects in the United States, while driving up costs and limiting choices for American taxpayers.

Canadian companies are not enjoying the same market access opportunities in the United States that they once did. When the "Buy American" provisions appeared out of Congress, the Canadian Chamber urged our members to contact their business partners in the United States to ask them to work against these protectionist measures. The initial legislation was amended to prevent discrimination at the federal level, but Canadian companies do not have the same protection for state and local contracts, including on ones where they could bid in the past.

Last week our sister organization, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, called on the U.S. administration to ease the "Buy American" guidelines on state and municipal governments. However, the threat continues to grow. Compounding the damage from the U.S. stimulus bill, similar provisions are being inserted into other pieces of legislation before Congress.

Here in Canada, we are seeing a disturbing number of retalitory measures being considered. Both countries will be harmed by a downward spiral of new protectionist policies, especially considering the high percentage of products that have extensive content from the other country.

It's important that we act now in two concrete ways. First, we urge all chamber members to speak with suppliers, customers and associations on the U.S. side to restate that the "Buy American" provisions should not be aimed at Canada and the they should not be included in any new legislation. These types of measures will harm U.S. companies, U.S. employees and U.S. taxpayers.

Second, we ask that you urge your provincial or territorial and municipal governments to support action by the federal government to find a measure that provides immediate relief for Canadian businesses, such as a bilateral agreement that ensures projects with federal funding give access to both countries or mutual recognition through the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement. For the longer term, we need governments at all levels in both countries to support a bilateral government procurement agreement.

For our part, the Canadian Chamber will write the federal, provincial and territorial governments jointly with other business organization in support of this position.

Sincerely,

Perrin Beatty

President and CEO

Canadian Chamber of Commerce

360 Albert St., Suite 420

Ottawa, ON Canada K1R 7X7

(613) 238-4000

Please contact Sadie Vincent-Wolfe, Member Services Manager at the BRCC, if you require any further information.

In May 2009, representatives from the Baffin Regional and Labrador North Chambers of Commerce traveled to Edmonton to take part in the Meet the North Trade Show and Conference. The Meet the North show is an opportunity for the western arctic and northern provinces to meet, network and learn about new opportunities.  For more information on that show, please go to www.meetthenorth.com

For our part, along with the Labrador North Chamber of Commerce, we were there to promote the next Northern Lights show to take place in January 2010. According to organization that were returning to the show, the attendance was not as high as it had been in past years, however there were still plenty of people inquiring about Northern Lights and the excitement it is building. For more information, please go to the website at www.northernlightsmontreal.com This website in underconstruction, but check out the promotional video from the 2008 Northern Lights Show!

Each year during the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference the BRCC holds its Annual General Meeting. This time of the year is an opportune time because many of our members are participating in the event, therefore more of our members are available to participate and have their input in the meeting.

Thank you to those members who attended this year's AGM. We are please to announce out new BRCC Board of Directors!

Chris West of Qikiqtaaluk Corporations was elected President for a second time...sort of. He became the president late in 2008 when Eva Aariak resigned after being elected to the Premier of Nunavut.

Ike Haulli of Savik Enterprises in Igloolik will have another run as Vice President and Frank May of Ikpiaryuk Services in Arctic Bay is once again, Secretary Treasurer.

Returning as Directors on the Board are Dushyenth Ganesan of ED&T in Pangnirtung; Bob Long of BBDC in Iqaluit and Karliin Aariak of Malikkaat in Iqaluit.

New Directos to the board are Victor Tootoo of Tootoo Consulting in Iqaluit and Dave Swoboda of 5027 Nunavut in Arctic Bay.

Thank you to Chris Cote of Uqsuq in Iqaluit and Chris Groves of BBS in Iqaluit for their service to the board over the past several years.

The 2009 Nunavut Youth Conference - Focus on Careers and Entrepreneurship was held on May 19-21, 2009. The Baffin Regional Chamber of Commerce (BRCC), along with funding partners, Kivalliq Partners in Development, Kitikmeot Economic Development Commission and Kakivak Association, hosted 31 students and 5 chaperones from over 16 communities across Nunavut.

Throughout the three days, the youth attended sessions which centered on the conference's theme. Keynote speakers included the Honourable Eva Aariak, the Honourable Tagak Curley, and MLA for Quttiktuq, Ron Elliott who focused on the importance of Inuit youth taking an assertive role in their futures, as well as fully understanding their pasts.

"We also wanted to offer the youth an opportunity to network with peers, young entrepreneurs, as well as local businesses that would allow them, the youth, to see what opportunities lie ahead for them in the future" explained Josh Qaumariaq, the BRCC's Youth Program Manager.

The participants had the opportunity to hear from various entrepreneurs who have either started their business here in Nunavut or have relocated to the territory to take advantage of a business opportunity. The entrepreneurs explained to the youth how they got to where they are today and the challenges they had to overcome in order to be successful.

During a career panel, youth met with representatives from RCMP Recruitment, Nunavut Film, Nunavut Tourism, Baffinland, NPC, Department of Health and Social Services, as well as GN. The panel addressed the opportunities available in their regions. Through these presentations they had the opportunity to gain a better understanding of their options as well as reevaluate their own goals and ambitions.

Another session included representatives from Kakivak and FANS where participants were given information on opportunities for post secondary and new business financial assistance. They also had an opportunity to work on their resume and interview skills.

From this conference, 31 youth walked away with a new sense of confidence and entrepreneurial skills to bring back to their respective communities to share with their peers. Early evaluation shows that there was a high level of satisfaction from their experiences. 

It is our goal to have an even more successful youth conference next year with a larger delegation from across the territory. We will also be aiming to run the conference simultaneously with the Nunavut Trade Show and Conference, also hosted by BRCC.

Another successful CED Week has passed in the Hamlet of Cape Dorset. This was the second time the CED Week event, coordinated by the BRCC, was held in this community. Cape Dorset is a very warm and inviting community and, as always, a joy to visit.

Over 30 organizations participated in the event indicating just how important these events are for the communities and the participants. Once again there was a great turn out with over 300 people from the community coming to Peter Pitsiulak School for the afternoon trade show sponsored in part by Northwestel. In the evening, the community hall filled up quickly for the community feast which was sponsored in part by First Air and the Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium. The evening included lots of food, lots of give-aways and lots of fun!

Our thanks to Qiatsuk Qiatsuk and the Hamlet of Cape Dorset, Ed Sheppard and the Peter Pitsiulak School, Mayor Cary Merrit and the citizens of the community, and the 30+ organizations that participated. All the help and support that we receive helps to make these events possible. 

Also a big thank you to our partners: the Government of Nunavut, Kakivak and Skills Canada, as well as our sponsors: First Air, Northwestel and the Nunavut Fisheries Training Consortium.

Our next CED Week events are scheduled for Igloolik and Hall Beach on March 20 and 27. For more information, or to register for these events, please call the BRCC's Event Manager, Jessica Dewar, at 867-979-4654 or send an email to events@baffinchamber.ca.