Latest news with #AdamLegge
CTV News
22-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
‘We need to reset the table': Business council calls for stability following G7 Summit
Business Council of Alberta President, Adam Legge, discusses the upcoming G7 Summit and more with Alberta Primetime host Michael Higgins.
CBC
16-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Alberta separation movement knocked by business groups, analyst
Deborah Yedlin gets that some folks in Alberta are not thrilled with yet another federal Liberal government, but she says the separation movement the premier is flirting with could seriously hurt the province and the country. "When there is uncertainty, money sits on the sidelines or companies leave or labour leaves," Yedlin, the Calgary Chamber president and CEO, told the Calgary Eyeopener in a Thursday interview. "What does that do? Your tax base shrinks. You don't have that corporate tax base or personal income taxes. It's not where anybody wants to go." Yedlin is in Ottawa making Alberta's economic case to a new federal cabinet. She likes what she sees so far. "This is a different government, a different cabinet with a different focus," she said. "Individuals who were not supportive of the energy sector are not going to have the same voice that they may have had in previous iterations in government. That view is going to be directed differently and pragmatically." But the anger of some Albertans is understandable, says the president of the Business Council of Alberta. "I think it's important not to dismiss the concerns and frustrations of Alberta," Adam Legge told CBC News in an interview. He said his members, on balance, don't support leaving Canada. "Obviously, the separatist option is the nuclear one, on the very end of the scale, that I hope we never achieve because we believe Alberta's place is in the federation, is in Canada." A political scientist says, however, sometimes Alberta can make that hard. "Some of the demands [Alberta Premier] Danielle Smith has made of the federal government are beyond the federal government's capacity to provide," said Lori Williams of Mount Royal University. "If you want to build pipelines, you need the support of not just leaders but of the people they represent. Taking a demanding, entitled approach to negotiations is less likely to generate the support needed for Alberta to get things like pipelines built. We have to work with other parts of Canada as well as the federal government." And then there are those thorny conversations around equalization, and all the confusion that percolates around that. "There's an assumption that Alberta is giving more to Canada than it's getting back," Williams said. "When you put all the federal transfers together, not just equalization, things like fiscal stabilization, health transfers, social service transfers, education transfers — the numbers don't look as even as they otherwise would. The per capita money coming into Alberta is on par with the per capita money going into other provinces." That would change, however, if Alberta were to chart its own path. "It would have to assume a share of the national debt and pay the full cost of all of the services being supported by federal money." Yedlin, meanwhile, is focusing on sunny days ahead. "We have tremendous opportunity now," she said. "We have, from what I am hearing, a government, and the messages are pretty clear, a government that really wants to harness the economic potential of this country. What's the downside of doing that? There is no downside." Legge isn't mincing words about secession. "The consequences will be significant, the costs will be significant. It doesn't solve a lot of the problems and concerns we have. Separating from Canada doesn't make a pipeline any easier, faster, or cheaper. Let's find ways to know how we can defend our interests," he said. "I absolutely believe there are companies reconsidering investment in Alberta in this time of separatist conversation." But for Williams, it's a matter of looking at the bigger picture. "I think many Albertans would be less supportive of separation once they started looking at those sorts of things," she said. "I think there are people who are angry and that's being fuelled online and by some leaders. They assume that talk of separation will yield some kind of concessions from others, and I just don't know if that's a safe assumption."
CBC
21-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Western Canadian business groups outline wish list ahead of federal election call
Social Sharing Western Canadian business groups have outlined their wish list ahead of an expected federal election call this weekend. Councils in B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba jointly released a policy paper Friday entitled Untapped Potential — Driving Canadian Prosperity Through Natural Resources. They say Canada's next government faces a critical choice — continue with policies that limit investment, development and growth or create a competitive environment that allows the resource sector to thrive. "Canada has the untapped potential to be an economic superpower by leaning into policies that support the development of our resource sectors. Instead, we are limiting opportunities for the next generation by falling behind in our growth, productivity, and prosperity," said Laura Jones, head of the Business Council of B.C. "It's time to change course." The paper is focused on five key industries: agriculture, forestry, energy, mining and aquaculture. For all those sectors, the groups advocate for streamlining project approvals, pursuing new global markets and investing in trade-related infrastructure. They also want to see a clear and effective Indigenous consultation process and ways to unlock Indigenous economic potential in the resources sector. 'Unleashing Canada's natural strengths' Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, said Canada's resource industry is constrained by regulatory and policy barriers. "This initiative is about growing Canada's economy and improving the well-being of Canadians by unleashing Canada's natural strengths." Bram Strain, who heads the Business Council of Manitoba, said "Western Canada has the expertise, resources, and innovative capacity to grow our nation and meet global demands." The federal government enacted environmental review legislation in 2019 that aimed to better weigh major projects' impact on Canada's greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental, social and health matters. The Impact Assessment Act has since been amended after court challenges to its constitutionality, but Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and others still take issue with the revised legislation. Industry players have said regulatory uncertainty and long review timelines have made it difficult to make investment decisions. "By cutting red tape and creating a more predictable regulatory environment, we can attract investment, create jobs, and ensure long-term economic resilience," said Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO of the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. Earlier this week, top executives at 10 major oil and gas producers and four pipeline companies released an open letter urging the federal government to invoke emergency powers to get energy export infrastructure, like pipelines and liquefied natural gas terminals, built. That includes nixing the Impact Assessment Act and a cap on greenhouse gas emissions. Election call expected Sunday Prime Minister Mark Carney, who succeeded Justin Trudeau in the role a week ago, is expected to ask Gov. Gen. Mary Simon to dissolve parliament on Sunday, triggering an election. The election will take place against the backdrop of a trade war with the United States, as well as President Donald Trump's expressed desire to make Canada the "51st state." Canada has retaliated against U.S. levies with its own tariffs on billions of dollars worth of U.S. goods. The Liberals have said they would keep a cap on industrial greenhouse gas emissions, while Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has said his party would scrap it. Poilievre has also promised "shovel-ready zones" with pre-approved construction permits for major resource or energy projects.
