Of the more than 500 corporate executives surveyed, 93 per cent feel Canada needs to work at better relations with the US government and 86 per cent are in favour of a truly open border with no tariffs or trade restrictions. Seventy per cent of the respondents felt Canada’s corporate tax impedes industry’s competitiveness in the global market and a total of 72 per cent are concerned about replacing aging employees with experienced workers and managers. Most executives also agreed with the suggestion that Canada should do more to attract educated and skilled immigrants.

These findings and more are part of the 2004 Business Pulse Survey of Corporate Canada conducted by TNS Canadian Facts for SEEC, the executive education arm of York University’s Schulich School of Business.

“The information collected in this survey provides an invaluable overview of current and prospective business trends in Canada’s leading corporations,” said Alan Middleton, executive director of the SEEC. “The data is a powerful tool that helps us better understand what Canadian business leaders are doing differently to grow their organizations.”

The survey, first launched in 2003, was conducted among executives from a comprehensive list of the largest public and private companies in Canada and includes chairmen, presidents and chief executive officers. The key attitudes surveyed included:

·       Perceived threats to the future of Canadian business

·       Barometers of Canadian economic health

·       Attitudes toward corporate governance, ethics and Canada-US relations