CFIB Alberta

It is great to see a new federal red tape reduction strategy which includes several long-standing CFIB recommendations.  The new requirement for regulators to reduce regulatory burden costs by $2 for every $1 added is a significant step forward. CFIB statement on federal Cabinet Directive on Regulatory Competitiveness and Red Tape Reduction cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/cfib-s…

Visa lowers interchange fees for tens of thousands of small businesses, but new credit card fees are on the horizon cfib-fcei.ca/en/media/visa-l…

My ipolitics column on proposed changes to the federal labour code: Small businesses shouldn’t be bargaining chips in federal labour disputes  ipolitics.ca/2026/09/30/smal…

CFIB looks forward to reviewing the full detail of proposed changes to the Canada Labour Code in the days ahead. It does appear that government is moving in the right direction by putting enhanced tools in place to help resolve disputes that put the larger economy in jeopardy. Work stoppages in federally regulated workplaces (such as ports, railways, airlines and Canada Post) do not just affect this handful of large employers and their workers. Hundreds of thousands of small businesses and millions of workers in the broader economy are affected when labour disputes happen. We've had a decade of pro-union labour law changes, most of which was supported by all parties keen to court political support from unions. These changes have led to a much larger number of strikes and lockouts. When we close our ports, stop our rail and air service and even cancel the mail for months, it doesn't send the message that Canada is open for business. While the proposed changes are promising, none of this has been tested in the real world. I worry these changes may not be enough or that they may be simply ignored by unions who want to test the government's resolve. Government should be prepared to consider expanding essential services legislation if the new tools fail to reduce the number of work stoppages in Canada's critical supply chain.

As Canadian counter-tariffs go into effect today, tens of thousands of additional small firms will be pulled onto the front line of the trade war. While there is support for retaliatory action - including among many business owners - this decision will affect more businesses than the US tariffs themselves. If reports of the resumption of trade talks are true, that would be good news. If not, government needs to ensure all affected businesses have access to supports. While it is good that the RDA programs have lowered their thresholds to $1M, government has confirmed that supports are not currently available to anyone with under $1M in sales. It also doesn’t appear the programs cover anyone affected by counter-tariffs. This needs to change immediately and is at the centre of CFIB lobbying. We are also pushing for a retroactive cut in the small business corp tax hike for all businesses. We’ve been in a trade war for over a year. It shouldn’t be like this!