Action needed to strengthen industry’s competitive edge, CIAC tells House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance

October 18, 2018

Isabelle Des Chênes, Executive Vice-President of the Chemistry Industry Association of Canada (CIAC), testified before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s pre-budget consultation hearings in Edmonton Wednesday, October 17.

In her address, she stated that urgent action was needed to ensure that Canada can compete with other jurisdictions for the next wave of chemistry industry investment.

“You might have read the eye-catching headlines last month saying that left un-checked, tax reforms south of the border would put 635,000 Canadian jobs at risk and potentially reduce Canada’s GDP by $85 billion – or nearly five per cent of the economy,” she told the committee.

“The Pricewaterhouse Coopers report commissioned by the Business Council of Canada specified that the petrochemical sector will be particularly hard hit by these reforms which pose a ‘serious risk’ to chemistry manufacturing in Canada. These are issues that have been on CIAC’s radar for quite some time and others are finally starting to notice.”

Action items included adopting a temporary 100 per cent Accelerated Capital Cost Allowance (ACCA) for the chemistry industry; investing in programs to allow Canada to become a leader in the commercialization of technologies to recycle, recover or transform all plastics by 2040; and renewing the National Trade Corridor Initiative including investments in rail and ports and re-funding the Rail Safety Improvement Program and expanding it to include education and resources around the transportation of dangerous goods.