Towards greater consolidation

In Canada, the establishment of a Chamber of Commerce can be carried out by different procedures. Registration can take place by applying to two different levels  of government, provincial or federal, each with their own laws. This is a nuance often overlooked overseas where we tend to forget the flexibility of the Canadian system, less centralised than that of France, for example. Canadians are proud of the diversity of their country, but this diversity nevertheless creates difficulties in harmonisation.
“The situation can arise that two Chambers claim the same territory or parts of the same territory. They are both in the right as they are registered under two different systems, that of their province and that of the Federal State,” explains Jennifer Hagen, Manager of Chamber Relations at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce. The good faith of the two parties is not contested, but this confusion can nevertheless lead to conflict. Jennifer Hagen estimates that twice or three times every year, cases arise that risk causing true disputes. Out of the ten provincial federations, seven do not require that the creation of a Chamber be carried out according to federal and provincial laws. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce has however made this a requirement.
Today, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce is made up of 338 structures, with members from all provincial federations. However, the gap remains significant: throughout the ten provinces, there is a total of 830 Chambers of Commerce. This asymmetry can also be observed in the number of member companies. The Canadian Chamber of commerce counts 170,000 companies, the provinces, 180,000. While the Canadian Chamber of Commerce does not aim to make all companies join its network, it nevertheless wishes for a harmonisation of practices so as to avoid confusion.
“It is also obvious that the more members we have, the better we can negotiate special prices with business service providers,” continues Jennifer Hagen.
Feeling the need to better coordinate the network, different local Chambers have asked that a national accreditation programme comprising various objectives be established. Amongst these objectives are a clarification of the issue of the territory covered by a particular Chamber, a standardisation of services offered and, more broadly, a reinforcement of the network to better defend the interests of members.
“Local Chambers have requested that this programme be developed to clarify to the public what exactly a Chamber of Commerce does. We started off the project in 2004 with representatives from all levels of the network of Chambers of Commerce. Accreditation is thus granted to those who conform with a set of rigorous norms and practices. Today, 65 Chambers benefit from this accreditation and around 15 to 20 are added to this number every year. The decision to commit to this programme is undertaken on a voluntary basis. It is the Quebecois Chambers that respond most enthusiastically. We are counting on a snowball effect to spread the network,” states Jennifer Hagen.
The size of the Chambers also varies, ranging, for example, from the large-scale Toronto Board of Trade that represents close to 10,000 companies, to small local organisations that serve communities often isolated from large urban centres. These small structures often function on a voluntary basis, given that no public funds are injected into Canadian Chambers of Commerce. However, sometimes Chambers may set up certain public-utility offices if federal, provincial or municipal authorities ask them to do so.
On the other hand, Chambers of Commerce in Canada are not involved with the management of facilities or services, such as airports or ferry services. Rather, they deal with automobile licence plate offices and are in charge of delivering driving licences. Certain Chambers have also agreed to offer tourist information services in small communities, a task for which they are often remunerated. Opportunities for Chambers to take over such activities are currently on the rise as public services are frequently privatised.