Business lobby gives political parties election wish list

The next provincial election is almost eight months away, but the Ontario Chamber of Commerce wants the major political parties to get down to business.

Thestar.com
Oct. 11, 2017
By Robert Benzie

The next provincial election is almost eight months away, but the Ontario Chamber of Commerce wants the major political parties to get down to business.

To that end, the non-partisan group representing 60,000 members across the province issued a 33-page wish list, entitled Vote Prosperity, for politicians vying to be elected on June 7, 2018.

"Ontario businesses have made it clear that the ever-rising cost of doing business from all levels of government has hindered their ability to prosper and grow," Karl Baldauf, the chamber's vice-president of policy and government relations, told a Queen's Park news conference Wednesday.

"Our objective is to achieve coherent, comprehensive pro-growth policies from all political parties. Our recommendations provide a prosperous path forward, because, when you vote for prosperity, Ontario wins," said Baldauf.

The chamber would like to see the next Ontario administration "strengthen business competitiveness, foster job creation, build health communities, and improve government accountability."

"Poor implementation of government initiatives can result in resource waste, political frustration and disruption for ordinary citizens, as demonstrated by a series of policy failures under governments of all political stripes," the report said.

It also makes 18 recommendations to the parties, as they develop their election platforms.

These include reinstating scheduled corporate income tax cuts, a standardized business-education tax, and a reduction in the employer health tax.

But the chamber, which has argued against the increase of the $11.60-hourly-minimum-wage to $14 on Jan. 1 and $15 in 2019, did not specifically tackle that issue in its pre-election submission.

"The minimum wage is one issue, but there are far more fundamental issues within that minimum-wage conversation that we are very concerned about," said Baldauf, emphasizing there is "a need for government to pursue evidence-based decision-making."

"This minimum-wage issue exemplifies one way in which government has not pursued that," he said.

While that is an echo of concerns expressed by the Progressive Conservatives, that does not mean the chamber is campaigning for or against any party, Baldauf stressed.

He noted that the chamber has praised the Liberals' balancing of the budget and health-care innovations, which are saving money.