Business and government must act with a sense of clear purpose to improve
Canada's competitiveness: Canadian Chamber

OTTAWA , Nov. 27 /CNW Telbec/ - As Canada emerges from the downturn, businesses must adopt new approaches to succeed in the ever-changing global landscape, concludes the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in a report: The Economic Edge: It's Canada vs The World.

"The global marketplace is changing at a breathtaking pace, and it's the businesses with ambitious and outward-looking strategies that will succeed," says Canadian Chamber President and CEO Perrin Beatty.

Among its list of recommendations, the Canadian Chamber calls on Canada's businesses to do more to find and employ new breakthrough technologies, build internationally recognizable brands, capitalize on new market opportunities in other regions of the world, upgrade the skills of their workforces, develop value-added products and services, relentlessly focus on improving operational efficiency, and build strong management capabilities aimed at achieving global leadership.

The Canadian Chamber believes governments must also do their parts. "While governments have made significant progress in stabilizing the world economy, risks abound and growth is likely to be tepid. Governments need to be more strategic and act now to lay the foundations for future economic growth and competitiveness" says Mr. Beatty .

The Canadian Chamber calls on the federal government to work with provincial and territorial governments to eliminate internal barriers to trade and mobility, create new market opportunities for Canadian companies, build a Canadian brand, champion a strong intellectual property rights regime, continue to invest in post-secondary education, align Canada's immigration policies with the needs of the labour market, streamline the regulatory approval process, and ensure an internationally competitive tax system.

"Time is short and complacency is the enemy. Throughout the recession, our competitors have been becoming more efficient and more focused on what it takes to succeed in the global marketplace. The wellbeing of every Canadian family depends on our acting urgently to ensure that we can compete and win," says Mr. Beatty .

The Canadian Chamber's paper can be viewed at www.chamber.ca

For further information: Kathryn Anderson, Director, Communications and Marketing, Office: [phone] x 231, Cell: [phone], [email protected]