November 19, 2015 – While in Antalya, Turkey at the B20 Summit, the President and CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, the Hon. Perrin Beatty, met privately with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Minister of Finance Bill Morneau to discuss the priorities of Canadian business. “Canada needs to have a laser-like focus on economic prosperity. Our prosperity is linked to our capacity to trade on international markets,” pointed out Mr. Beatty.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce attended the G20 Summit as a representative of the B20 Coalition, the group of business leaders from the G20 countries.
“The meeting with Prime Minister Trudeau was very positive. The fact that the Chamber had such an early opportunity to meet with him speaks to the importance he gives to business concerns,” explained Mr. Beatty. “We discussed many of the topics that are priorities here at the B20, such as the implementation of new financial regulations and how to tackle climate change while supporting business. The Prime Minister also brought up the subjects of youth employment and long-term infrastructure investment during his G20 speech. These are energizing ideas for Canada, and the business community will be supportive.”
Many of the B20 Coalition’s recommendations to the G20 are in line with these priorities. They include the development of country-specific infrastructure investment strategies linked to G20 growth aspirations as well as the improvement of the infrastructure investment ecosystem to facilitate the development of infrastructure as an asset class.
“Many countries share concerns that are similar to ours. That creates a lot of room for collaboration, and we will continue to seize the opportunities to focus our economies on common objectives, such as prosperity,” said Mr. Beatty.
The Canadian Chamber of Commerce continues its international mission at the APEC CEO Summit in Manila, Philippines, where Mr. Beatty and his team will meet with the Canadian delegation.