Canadian Business Executives Divided on Budget 2025: Canada Strong
The federal government’s proposed Budget 2025 has drawn a range of responses among Canadian business leaders. While some describe it as a missed opportunity, others see it as a potentially transformative step for the national economy.
Mixed Reactions to Budget 2025
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne presented Budget 2025: Canada Strong on Tuesday. The plan includes tax revisions designed to attract investments and fund major infrastructure projects.
Business Perspectives
Benjamin Bergen, president of the Council of Canadian Investors, shared his views in an interview with BNN Bloomberg, emphasizing the potential of the government’s direction.
“This budget is predominantly an inputs budget, where we’re seeing the government willing to commit billions of dollars for things like dual-purpose defence technology — lots of what could potentially become investments.”
Bergen noted that while the initiatives are ambitious, there remains uncertainty about how the government intends to translate spending into lasting economic benefits.
“Ultimately, we’ve got to figure out what are the mechanisms we’re going to use to capture wealth.”
Strategic Shifts and Trade Focus
The government aims to stimulate domestic economic growth and reduce reliance on the United States by pursuing new international trade partnerships. Bergen, however, argued for a stronger emphasis on supporting Canadian contractors and fostering domestic cooperation to ensure that government spending generates true national prosperity and sovereignty.
Author’s Summary
The 2025 budget divides Canada’s business community—seen by some as an ambitious economic reset and by others as an unfulfilled opportunity to bolster national industry.