Montreal chamber of commerce releases wishlist ahead of Quebec elections

The Montreal chamber of commerce (CCMM) released its wishlist Wednesday ahead of the kick off of the campaign season for the provincial elections in October.

The business lobby outlined recommendations covering economic, infrastructure and administrative areas it says should be priorities for the next government.

Among the top demands are cutbacks in regulations, tax relief, allocation of public contracts towards innovation, a full inventory and assessment of public infrastructure.

“Strengthening Montreal is not just a Montreal project. It is a Quebec project. A strong metropolis, a strong national capital, and strong regions do not cancel each other out—they reinforce one another,” said Isabelle Dessureault, president and CEO of CCMM, releasing the whitepaper containing the recommendations.

“It is by building on this complementarity and working as a team—serving as catalysts for one another—that we will create more wealth throughout Quebec,” Dessureault added.

The group also called for a 10-year investment plan committing all levels of government to invest in the Greater Montreal region, which accounts of more than half of the province’s economic output.

CCMM says the policy recommendations were released after consultations with businesses, academic experts, community and cultural stakeholders.

“Big breakthroughs in Montreal have never been the product of a single political cycle,” said Mélanie Lussier, president and CEO of Aéro Montréal.

“They have required a strong vision shared by our institutions, sustained investment, lasting coalitions, and the ability to maintain our efforts despite external pressure and, indeed, pressure from voters.”

The Chamber is also calling for a complete reversal of tuition hikes for out-of-province and international students passed by the CAQ arguing Montreal needs to remain competitive in winning over talent. 

“It was very damaging and this should not have happened to Montreal,” Dessureault said.

The recommendations also come as Canada and the U.S. were in last-minute negotiations over a trade deal even as President Donald Trump paused 50 per cent tariff on Canadian goods worth over $20 billion.

The CCMM said the uncertainty of the trade relationship over the past 18 months should be “wake-up call” for Quebec to strengthen its own economy.

Concordia University economics professor said amid this uncertainty businesses were asking the government to step in.

“Usually whenever you have an economic slowdown, we would look to the government to kind of pick up some of the slack, right? Businesses are clearly afraid,” Lander said.

The chamber says that no matter who is in the white house, Quebec needs to act now to strengthen its own economy.

“We don’t need just to wait for the next three years and what’s in the deal,” Dessureault said.

The political party leaders are expected to participate in an election debate organized by the CCMM on Sept. 24. Quebecers will head to the polls on Oct. 5.