April 2, 2020 – At the second meeting of the C.D. Howe Institute Crisis Working Group on Business Continuity and Trade on Tuesday, March 31, the group underscored the importance of government action to safeguard supply chains for critical goods – and address potential bottlenecks in the transport of goods by truck domestically and internationally.
The group of industry experts and economists, co-chaired by Dwight Duncan, Senior Strategic Advisor at McMillan LLP and former Ontario Minister of Finance, and Jeanette Patell, Vice-President of Government Affairs and Policy for GE Canada, urged governments to work closely with industry to address bottlenecks, but advised caution with regards to direct intervention or taking over supply chains.
The group highlighted the following priorities for governments:
- Safeguarding the flow of goods internationally and domestically
- Collaborating with critical industries to identify and address bottlenecks in supply chains
- Limiting workplace activities based on specific assessments of the risk of transmission
- Supporting industry-led efforts to develop health and safety measures to prevent transmission in workplaces
For more information, please contact: Grant Bishop, Associate Director, Research, C.D. Howe Institute; David Blackwood, Communications Officer, C.D. Howe Institute: Phone: 416-873-6168; email: dblackwood@cdhowe.org