The Importance of the Policy Development Process

As the provincial economy faces significant new challenges chambers of commerce will play an increasingly important role in ensuring business is ready to face these challenges while also embracing new opportunities.

The success of our policy development process was demonstrated during the last year with the Chamber continuing to drive the public policy agenda. On issues ranging from skills, taxation, energy, tourism, through to transportation and land use, no other organization advocates so successfully on such a wide range of issues as the Chamber.

This progress highlights the fact that our policy process has been successful by generating innovative policy solutions through local evidence-based analysis as well as information and judgments about the needs of your communities, the values of influential stakeholders and community members. In short, it is only through the direct input of local chambers that our process will be able to continue to offer real solutions to real challenges facing business across the province.

The importance of this process cannot be overstated. Following the release of the Climate Action Plan and the intro Throne Speech and the release of the new provincial Energy Plan the business community, particularly small businesses, faces a new reality that will require the Chamber to embrace new thinking about the decisions we make as individuals and the decisions made by government.

As an organization we cannot forget that there is always far more demand for government action than can be considered at any one time. It is, therefore, imperative that the Chamber continues to set the agenda. Before a policy can be formulated, it must first command attention; participation in the Chamber‘s policy development process will get you that attention.

The purpose of this material is to demonstrate the significant success this process has had on behalf of our members across the province in getting government at the provincial and federal level to implement your recommendations.

However, we can only maintain this success with your active participation. We urge all chambers and their members to become involved in this important element of our work.