In a bid to keep Canadian dollars at home, the Surrey Board of Trade and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce are calling for the federal government to ensure Canadian border officials enforce "all tax exemption limits" for cross-border shoppers.
The board has also won the backing of the national chamber in petitioning the federal government to eliminate "outdated" tariffs on finished goods entering Canada.
The board won the national chamber's support at the national Canadian Chamber of Commerce Conference last weekend.
Originally, the board, together with the Niagara Falls Chamber of Commerce, had also asked the Canadian chamber to back additional measures, including:
- calling on suppliers to explain pricing practices "which result in an over-inflation of prices for Canadians"; and
- reviewing Canada's supply management system to put measures in place to protect retailers, should the government choose not to change the existing system.
While the Canadian chamber has not backed the Surrey Board of Trade on those measures, board CEO Anita Huberman said her organization will continue to push for those goals.
"These items will be taken forward individually by the Surrey Board of Trade and its partners to the federal government," she said.
