Virtual Provincial-Territorial Finance Ministers’ Meeting

The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Minister of Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs
Department of Finance Canada
90 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G5
Dominic.Leblanc@parl.gc.ca

Dear Minister:

On behalf of all provincial and territorial (PT) finance ministers, congratulations on your appointment as Canada’s finance minister, in addition to your ongoing role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. We look forward to working together, engaging with and returning to the traditional schedule of holding semi-annual federal-provincial-territorial (FPT) meetings.

As the Chair of the PT finance ministers table, I respectfully request that a meeting be held in early January 2025 to address serious concerns regarding Canada’s economic prosperity and Canada-United States relations, including some of the concerns highlighted below:

• On Canada-United States relations, as the provincial and territorial premiers have expressed, we are interested in a Team Canada approach to engage with the incoming U.S. administration. We recognize the need for the federal government to take immediate actions to strengthen the security of Canada’s border.
• If the U.S. administration proceeds with the imposition of a 25 per cent tariff, we request that the federal government work with the provinces and territories on any retaliatory measures, including the distribution of any new tariff revenues, as well as economic supports for workers and businesses impacted by these trade actions.
• We also call on the federal government to meet Canada’s obligation as a member of NATO by increasing defence spending to at least two per cent of our GDP.
• We request that the federal government consider a new infrastructure program in the federal budget 2025. This would allow provinces and territories to support their local and diverse priorities, and more quickly fund critical projects in a way that complements long-term capital planning and investments already being made by provinces and
• We also ask that we have a comprehensive discussion about opportunities to address persistent challenges to Canada’s productivity and long-term economic growth, including tax and regulatory reforms to improve the investment climate and accelerate major resource and infrastructure projects.

On behalf of all PT finance ministers, I appreciate the federal government’s willingness to work in partnership with provinces and territories well in advance of your federal budget 2025. We look forward to an FPT meeting in January to continue the discussion regarding supporting Canadians and Canada’s economic prosperity.

Sincerely,

Peter Bethlenfalvy Minister of Finance

CC: The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, President of the Treasury Board