Matthew Holmes, executive vice-president and chief of public policy at the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, spoke about what an interim agreement could mean for businesses, what Ottawa should be looking for at the negotiating table, and why the longer-term goal remains the renewal of the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA).

The proposal is among the Ontario Big City Mayors’ latest asks as municipalities push senior levels of government for a broader response to homelessness, addiction and mental health crises playing out in communities across the province.