Takeaways from the 2025 Post-Budget Breakfast
Budget 2025, released late yesterday, aligns with many of Ottawa’s business priorities - signaling that Canada is open for business, eager for investment and committed to competitiveness. It provides tools for growth, such as tax relief to spur investment, funding to drive innovation, support for skills and infrastructure, and a commitment to bolster strategic industries. These are the building blocks of a robust, future-ready economy. Notably, several measures - from the productivity super-deduction to investments in AI and defence - closely mirror the recommendations OBOT put forward in our August 2025 federal pre-budget submission, reflecting a shared vision for sustainable economic growth in our city and country.
Ottawa’s business community is ready to seize the opportunities in this budget. The Ottawa Board of Trade will work collaboratively with the federal government and local stakeholders to implement these initiatives effectively on the ground. That means helping local companies access new grants, contracts, and programs, and ensuring that Ottawa’s talented workforce is connected to the newly created training and job opportunities. It also means remaining vigilant and engaged on the issues not fully addressed, namely the call for a clear plan to support the economic diversification of our city as it faces significant changes related to the federal presence, especially the impact on downtown revitalization.
“Ottawa’s businesses needed a budget that drives growth and innovation, and Budget 2025 largely delivers” said Sueling Ching, President & CEO of the Ottawa Board of Trade. “We are pleased to see measures like tax incentives for investment, support for skills training, and strategic sector investments that align with our advocacy. Our focus now will be on turning these commitments into tangible results, more jobs, more startups scaling up, and a stronger local economy. And doing it at a pace that builds confidence and drives private sector investment. At the same time, we will keep working with government on unfinished priorities, such as revitalizing our downtown and continued focus on modernizing our tax and regulatory systems for the 21st century.”
The Ottawa Board of Trade is committed to constructive leadership, championing initiatives that make Ottawa and Canada the best places to do business, invest, live, and prosper long term.