Key Issue: Diversity and Inclusion

In response to the B.C. Government’s release of the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act Action Plan (Action Plan), Fiona Famulak, President and CEO of the BC Chamber of Commerce, released the following statement: “The B.C. Government’s Action Plan unveiled today is a significant step in our province’s collective reconciliation journey. “The BC […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce, along with chambers of commerce and boards of trade across B.C., is celebrating Chamber of Commerce Week in British Columbia, February 14-18. Once again, the majority of this year’s celebration will be held virtually due to the pandemic. “This week, we are celebrating the chambers of commerce and boards of […]

This week, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce held its Annual General Meeting. Critically, two resolutions related to Indigenous reconciliation, submitted by BC-based chambers of commerce, were resoundingly passed by the national chamber network. The two resolutions were titled: Creating a Comprehensive Action Plan on Building a Sustainable Business Relationship with Indigenous Peoples and Establishment of […]

Canada’s military men and women are known around the world for their leadership skills, teamwork and dedication. They are highly skilled in areas such as planning, communication, management, and the trades. Without question, they would be an asset to any workforce; it is not always appreciated by the business community how big an asset someone […]

Background Air access for British Columbians in rural and remote regions has always been a challenge. Airlines struggle to economically provide routes and access to rural and remote areas while maintaining a positive balance sheet. Airlines have often written off the losses incurred in providing service to rural areas in order to feed passengers into […]

High quality public infrastructure is critical to the health and sustainability of all communities, including Indigenous communities. Unfortunately, Indigenous infrastructure outcomes are very poor under the current approach. The literature, studies and media reports demonstrate that Indigenous infrastructure assets take longer to develop, cost more, and have shorter operational lifecycles than comparable infrastructure developed by […]

The provincial government passed Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act 1 (DRIPA) legislation in November 2019 to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The purposes of the act are as follows: To affirm the application of the Declaration to the laws of British Columbia; To contribute to […]

National Aboriginal Day was first introduced and proclaimed in 1996 by the Governor General of Canada. June 21st is the day officially recognized as National Aboriginal Day. While celebrated in various activities around the country, the day was not celebrated as an official statutory holiday anywhere in Canada until 2001, when the Northwest Territories became […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce is pleased to welcome two new Directors to its Board of Directors, Korah DeWalt-Gagnon and George Casimir, both from Kamloops, BC.  “I am delighted George and Korah have joined the Board of the BC Chamber of Commerce. I am excited to work with them and believe their backgrounds and experiences […]

The BC Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that it has committed to the 50 – 30 Challenge, an initiative between the Government of Canada, business and diversity organizations, that asks organizations to aspire to two goals: Gender parity (“50%”) on Canadian board(s) and senior management; and Significant representation (“30%”) on Canadian board(s) and […]