From October 26-29, the Southeast Alberta Chamber of Commerce participated in the Chamber of Commerce Executives of Canada Conference and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce AGM & Convention in Victoria. The four days brought together Chamber leaders from across Canada for professional development, national economic discussions and, most importantly for our members, national policy debate. 

For Southeast Alberta businesses, our attendance is about much more than attending sessions. It is about having a seat at the table when Canada's business priorities are being shaped.

One of the most important functions of the Canadian Chamber network is its grassroots policy process. Chambers identify issues affecting businesses in their communities, develop evidence-based policy solutions and bring those recommendations forward for debate by Chambers from across the country.

When resolutions are adopted, they become part of the Canadian Chamber's national policy platform and can inform its advocacy with the federal government.

This year, Southeast Alberta brought our region's priorities directly into that process. Our Improving Risk Management for Agriculture Producers policy, calling for improvements to livestock risk management, crop and livestock insurance, AgriStability and whole-farm risk-management tools, received 99% support. Our renewed Promoting Canada's Agriculture Industry policy, focused on public trust, the Canada Brand and greater agricultural literacy, received 90% support. And our new Supporting Canadian Beverage Manufacturers resolution addressed tariff-related pressures facing Canadian manufacturers using aluminum cans received 97% support. 

These are tangible examples of local and regional business concerns becoming national Chamber priorities.

Our role is not limited to policies originating in Southeast Alberta. The strength of the Chamber network comes from Chambers supporting one another on issues that cross municipal and provincial boundaries. This year, we also supported or co-sponsored resolutions addressing regional airports, border efficiency, interprovincial trade, small business taxation, federal funding accessibility, broadband connectivity and intergenerational farm transfers, among other priorities. One particularly important example was Increasing and Modernizing Federal Support for Regional Airports, which is a timely issue for our region. Southeast Alberta co-sponsored the resolution, which calls for modernization and increased funding for the Airports Capital Assistance Program, federal support for regional air connectivity and service restoration, broader access to infrastructure programs and recognition of regional airports as important economic infrastructure. The final amended resolution received 96% support from the delegates.

At a time when Southeast Alberta is advocating for the restoration and long-term sustainability of regional air service, having this issue supported by Chambers across Canada strengthens the case we can make to government. 

That is the network effect at work.

The Canadian Chamber AGM & Convention also explored Canada's changing trade environment, competitiveness and investment, emerging opportunities in sectors including energy, defence and security, AI and agri-food, and the barriers preventing Canadian businesses from fully capitalizing on these advantages. 

Artificial intelligence was another significant focus, including the national launch of an SME AI adoption initiative designed to help small and medium-sized businesses develop AI literacy and identify practical opportunities to use the technology. We'll keep our members posted as new information about the program and the roll-out in our local region evolves.

 Leadership and organizational resilience were also part of the conversation. Dr. Shimi Kang's Future-Ready Mind presentation focused on three capabilities for navigating disruption and change: calm for resilience, connection for community and creativity for adaptability and innovation. 

These conversations help us anticipate the issues our members will be dealing with next, rather than simply reacting to them after they arrive.

The preceding CCEC Conference Program 2026 also focused on strengthening Chambers themselves: governance, collaboration, parliamentary procedure, sustainable revenues and maintaining credibility in an increasingly polarized environment. Our own Executive Director Lisa Dressler joined Karey Anne Large, CEO of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce, for Credibility Counts - How Non-Partisanship Advances Chamber Impact, examining how Chambers can advocate strongly while remaining trusted, evidence-based and non-partisan. That distinction matters. Effective advocacy is not about which political party occupies government. It is about consistently advancing policies that improve the environment for businesses to invest, hire, compete and grow.

A business in Southeast Alberta may never attend a national Chamber AGM. But its voice can.

When a local agricultural producer tells us that risk-management programs are not keeping pace with today's realities, when a manufacturer experiences the consequences of tariffs, when businesses tell us unreliable air service is affecting investment or workforce mobility, or when employers struggle with regulatory and workforce barriers, our job is to take those concerns beyond the conversation.

We research them.
We build the case.
We work with other Chambers.
We put forward solutions.
And we take those solutions to decision-makers.

That is why participation in the national Chamber network matters.

It gives businesses throughout Southeast Alberta something that would be difficult to achieve individually: a direct connection between local business experience and a coordinated national advocacy voice.

Our attendance in Victoria was not simply about representing Southeast Alberta at a conference. It was about making sure Southeast Alberta businesses are represented where Canada's business agenda is being shaped.

Want to ensure you voice is at the table - join us in our local, provincial and national movement as we continue to build the business network of Southeast Alberta.