In an open letter signed by 32 business associations, the Canadian business community on Tuesday called on the federal government to bring public sector employees back to their places of work as rapidly as possible.
As COVID-19 transitions into an endemic phase, communities are seeking a return to normal economic activity and businesses are implementing return-to-work plans. However, some governments have been markedly slower in following suit. With inadequate public services regularly failing individual Canadians and businesses alike, the letter urges governments, starting with the federal government, to bring their employees back as quickly as possible.
The signatories believe virtual connectivity cannot replace meeting with stakeholders in-person and providing Canadians with the quality of government services that they have the right to expect. They look to the federal government for leadership in bringing public sector employees back.
The letter’s full text and complete list of signatories is included below:
October 31, 2022
Honourable Mona Fortier, P.C., M.P.
President of the Treasury Board
Treasury Board Secretariat
RE: Federal government return to office plan
Dear Minister:
With COVID-19 now decidedly in the endemic phase, most Canadians are resuming pre-pandemic activities. We are seeing this trend in everyday life as people return to schools, workplaces, movie theatres, large sporting events, and restaurants. Given the robust volume of scientific knowledge about COVID-19 accumulated over the last two and a half years, the federal government has also recognized the new phase we are in by rightly dropping pandemic-related border measures, in addition to already having suspended the vaccination mandate for federal public servants.
Many businesses have now implemented their return to the workplace plans. However, some governments are significantly lagging in the development and implementation of their plans to bring public sector employees back to their places of work. We call upon all governments that have not implemented plans to bring their employees back to do so as rapidly as possible.
The federal government is not only a major employer in cities and communities across Canada, but in many places it is the anchor employer. As businesses in these communities assess their long-term viability given the pandemic’s damaging effects on downtown centres, restoring normal economic activity requires the federal government to act now. In fact, recent data shows that the Ottawa/Gatineau region, with its particularly high concentration of federal government employees, has the lowest return to office rate of any government capital in Canada.
Additionally, our members are concerned about the deteriorating ability of the government to engage effectively with stakeholders. Good public policy relies on regular engagement with stakeholders, both within the business community and in the broader public. While virtual connectivity has opened up new communication channels, it is not a substitute for the ability to meet, consult and collaborate in person. Implementing a federal government return to office strategy will facilitate much more efficient and productive engagement both within the government itself and with the general public. It will also help to address the many deficiencies in public services that are seriously affecting both the business community and individual Canadians.
We strongly urge the federal government to lead the way to a return to normal that will both foster economic growth and ensure that all Canadians receive the quality of public services that they have a right to expect. Along with our member businesses, we will be pleased to work with you in making this process a success.
Sincerely,
Honourable Perrin Beatty, P.C., O.C.
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Anita Huberman
President & Chief Executive Officer
Surrey Board of Trade
AnnMarie Boudreau
Chief Executive Officer
St. John’s Board of Trade
Anthony Norejko
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Business Aviation Association
Barbara Barrett
Executive Director
Frontier Duty Free Association
Bob Masterson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Chemistry Industry Association of Canada
Bruce Rodgers
Executive Director
Canadian International Freight Forwarders Association
Carol West
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Society of Customs Brokers
Catherine Wieckowska
President
Responsible Distribution Canada
Charles Milliard
Président-directeur general
Fédération des chambres de commerce du Québec
Christian Buhagiar
President and Chief Executive Officer
Restaurants Canada
Chuck Davidson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Manitoba Chambers of Commerce
Dan Kelly
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Federation of Independent Business
Daniel-Robert Gooch
President and Chief Executive Officer
Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Dennis Darby
President and Chief Executive Officer
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
Diane J. Brisebois
President and Chief Executive Officer
Retail Council of Canada
Goldy Hyder
President and Chief Executive Officer
Business Council of Canada
Jan De Silva
President and Chief Executive Officer
Toronto Region Board of Trade
Jim Facette
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer
CAZA
Krista Ross
Chief Executive Officer
Fredericton Chamber of Commerce
Liz Kovach
President
Western Retail Lumber Association
Loren Remillard
President and Chief Executive Officer
The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce
Marc Chénier
Directeur general
Regroupement de gens d’affaires de la Capitale nationale
Meghan O’Reilly
Public Affairs Manager
The Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association of Canada
Michel Leblanc
Chair
Canadian Global Cities Council (CGCC)
Prabha Ramaswamy
Chief Executive Officer
Saskatchewan Chamber of Commerce
Sandra Marsden
President
Canadian Sugar Institute
Shannon Coombs
President
CCSPA
Shelly Nichol
Executive Director
St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce
Sheri Somerville
Chief Executive Officer
Atlantic Chamber of Commerce
Sueling Ching
President and Chief Executive Officer
Ottawa Board of Trade
Tim Reuss
President and CEO
Canadian Automobile Dealers Association
(Mario Toneguzzi is a veteran of the media industry for more than 40 years and named in 2021 a Top Ten Business Journalist in the world and only Canadian)
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