What We’re Watching: Key Trends and Emerging Issues
Things are busy on Parliament Hill. Last week, Prime Minister Mark Carney unveiled his new cabinet of 28 ministers supported by 10 secretaries of state — a notably smaller team compared to former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s, which had climbed into the high 30s.
From Manitoba, the Honourable Rebecca Chartrand has been appointed Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
The Chamber congratulates all those recently appointed to Cabinet. We look forward to working together to help build a strong Canada where businesses and communities can thrive.
Parliament returns on May 26, with the Speech from the Throne scheduled for May 27, to be delivered by King Charles.
Winnipeg Chamber Advocacy in Action for May
Policy Exchange
Last week, The Chamber hosted a lively discussion on the recent federal election in partnership with Curtis Brown and Mary Agnes Welch of Probe Research, whose data provided valuable insight into voter shifts, key election issues, and emerging economic trends.
Probe Research Principal Mary Agnes Welch speaks to Chamber members at a recent Policy Exchange.
Manitobans’ top issues this federal election included:
- Cost of living/inflation
- Canada-U.S. relations, including tariffs
- Healthcare
To read more click here.
Chamber Members offered feedback on the Province of Manitoba’s forthcoming Economic Development Strategy. Key highlights include the importance of the Port of Churchill, the need for an access-to-capital strategy, and continued investment in upskilling Manitoba’s workforce.
This feedback will inform our upcoming meeting with the Province of Manitoba to further engage in direct consultation on the strategy. If you missed this event, there’s still time to provide your feedback on the Economic Development Strategy, email our Manager of Policy and Government Relations Gwen Black at [email protected] by May 26, 2025.
To learn more and provide your feedback directly to the Province of Manitoba, hit this link.
Community Safety
At our April Luncheon, newly appointed Chief of the Winnipeg Police Service Gene Bowers joined us to discuss business and community safety, sharing his priorities including creating a “blanket of safety” for downtown Winipeg, his vision for the future of the WPS with reconciliation woven into the fabric of it work, and announced he will be hiring a crime analyst.
As part of the event, we asked attendees: “Along with combatting violent crime, the new police chief will have many priorities. Which of these should be his top priority?”
Here’s what we heard:
- Improving downtown safety
- Advocating for prevention and early intervention
- Championing collaborative approaches to public safety
- Building strong relationships with Indigenous Peoples and equity-deserving communities
Safety continues to be a top priority for our members, as identified by last year’s Chamber Membership Survey. We want to make sure our efforts reflect your needs and priorities, so please, share your feedback by hitting this link and filling out this year’s Chamber Membership Survey.
If you would like to provide direct input and inform the development of our new Community Safety Policy, email our Policy and Government Relations Manager Gwen Black at [email protected] to join the working group.
Manitoba Chambers Annual General Meeting
A panel of experts speaking at this year’s Manitoba Chambers of Commerce Annual General Meeting.
At this year’s Manitoba Chambers AGM, The Winnipeg Chamber team submitted our policy, “Tackling Manitoba’s Economic Competitiveness through Taxation” for renewal. This policy challenges Manitoba to examine the competitiveness of our personal tax, payroll tax, corporate tax, and land transfer tax, and sets a target for us to rank among the top three most competitive provinces.
We’re excited to share it passed, and we look forward to advocating alongside The Manitoba Chambers of Commerce to help attract investment into our province.
Read the full policy here.
Promoting a Customer-Centric City Hall
The City of Winnipeg is taking steps to improve service delivery by speeding up water and wastewater servicing capacity inquiries. On May 2, Winnipeg City Council approved additional funding for new positions to reduce inquiry response times from 30 days to 7 days for standard requests, and to 14 days for complex evaluations.
Starting July 1, 2025, a new $220 fee for water and wastewater servicing capacity inquiries will add additional cost to projects. However, our members recognize delayed timelines can be even more expensive, and efficiency and predictability are critical to progress
Check out our letter of support here.
