Business leaders say they have a blueprint for economic success. They want federal candidates to listen

CBC

11-04-2025

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With the yo-yoing threat of U.S. tariffs dominating business headlines, a business conference in Saskatchewan — the landlocked province historically known as the breadbasket of the world and also boasting oil, uranium and potash resources — featured a strong undercurrent of dissatisfaction with hurdles to getting products to market.
"Saskatchewan has what the world needs," was a commonly expressed sentiment at the Global Food, Fuel and Farm Summit held in Regina this past week, an event hosted by the Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce. CBC attended as part of its national effort to ask Canadians what matters most to them in the federal election.
"I think we have a tremendous opportunity for us as Canadians," said Prabha Ramaswamy, CEO for the chamber, pointing to a rise of patriotism in recent weeks.
"I think it's been a defining moment for us, where as Canadians we're asking ourselves what our values are, and I think we have to build on the momentum, come together as Canadians and look at how we can strengthen our domestic economy."
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Prairie innovation was highlighted at the conference, with attendees pointing to Saskatchewan-based work like incorporating artificial intelligence into engineering projects or turning biomass-derived carbon into lithium batteries.
However, those at the conference said they see the same barriers to doing business continually crop up, making them top of mind as industries consider what matters most in the next federal election.
Karen Churchill is the president and CEO of Ag-West Bio, a not-for-profit that invests in ag start-ups, and said she is most concerned with regulatory barriers such as requirements for projects to have greenhouse gas assessments and mitigation, costs borne by industry. The other big weight on her mind was whether Canada is ready to make big investments in infrastructure.
"We need to get our products to market. We need to actually invest in all the institutions, whether they be research institutions or basic roads, railways … [and] pipelines."
She's concerned there's a divide between western provinces and decision-makers in Ottawa.
"Here in the west, I think we just don't feel heard in the east," she said. "When you talk about pipelines, that's a huge disconnect also with the barriers to innovation where you see policies developed in the east not being very friendly to the west."
Ramaswamy said the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has issued four calls of action to strengthen Canada's economy, including one about the long discussed but yet-to-be-realized east-west energy corridor.
The three other calls are to tear down internal trade barriers, boost domestic procurement and renegotiate free trade agreements with the U.S. and Mexico.
Politicians have long talked about west-to-east transportation and infrastructure, said Grant McLellan, a senior strategy advisor with Prairie Sky Strategy, but there's a gap between some of that talk and tangible action.
"The biggest pressure that we always hear is we need port expansion, we need rail line growth and construction of new rail lines. We need pipeline expansion to make sure that we have access across the country to resources that are developed right here in Canada," he said, adding that there can be opposition in provinces like Quebec that stall projects like pipelines.
Like Churchill, McLellan wants to see a streamlining of regulatory approvals to ensure business and industry projects can move forward.
"We really need a federal government that is prepared to make tough decisions that aren't necessarily going to be political, politically appeasing to certain parts of the country, but are good for nation building and are good for Canada's future and good for Canada removing itself from the reliance on markets like the United States."
While there might be a perception that oil and gas or other energy partners are opposed to environmental regulation, Ran Narayanasamy, president and CEO of the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, said that's not the case.
"Nobody's saying, 'Hey, I'm going to produce a product. We don't care about the environment,'" he said.
The problem is that federal environmental regulations are formed without consultation with industry partners, Narayanasamy said.
"We don't want the policies to curtail the development of the energy industry in Western Canada, especially in Saskatchewan."
Narayanasamy said he wants to hear federal leaders express pride in what Canada has to offer, whether that's oil, potash or canola.