‘Time to take control of our future’: Canadian Chamber of Commerce calling for parliament to reconvene

Canadian Chamber of Commerce President Candace Laing addresses business leaders in Winnipeg on Feb. 5, 2025. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the federal government to reconvene parliament and create solutions to interprovincial trade in the wake of tariff threats from the United States. President Candace Laing addresses business leaders in Winnipeg

The head of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is calling on the federal government to end the prorogation of Parliament in the wake of tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.

“Canadians need, at this moment, their government to be all hands in, working with the business community on multi-partisan policy solutions passed by Parliament that give Canadians the confidence that their leaders are acting with the very best our country can muster in this moment,” Candace Laing, president and CEO of the organization, said to business leaders Wednesday morning in Winnipeg.

“We cannot wait six to eight more weeks to get to the critical work of protecting Canadian jobs, families, and our sovereignty.”

Laing’s comments come two days after U.S. President Trump announced planned tariffs of 25 per cent against imported Canadian goods were paused for 30 days.

During her speech, Laing also called on the Canadian government to reduce barriers to interprovincial trade, saying Canada has become too reliant on trade with the United States.

“It’s time to take control of our own future,” she said. “With Parliament reconvened, we can work together, not only to respond and put in emergency measures, but actually start to address, in an aggressive way with speed we don’t even know we have, the critical roadblocks that have until now left us maybe far more vulnerable than we realized.”

Laing said the chamber is also advocating for reduced taxation, upgraded modern trading infrastructure and a reduction in red tape for businesses.