A group representing Canadian business leaders is calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take more decisive action to stop the spread of COVID-19.

Goldy Hyder, president and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, wrote an open letter to Trudeau on Saturday, calling for a strict self-isolation policy across the country to help slow the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“We urge you and the leaders of the provinces and territories to speak clearly and with one voice,” reads the letter. “Beginning immediately, all Canadians should be told, not asked or advised, to stay at home unless their jobs are essential or they must leave the home to purchase food and other necessities.”

The Quebec and Ontario governments ordered the closure of all non-essential businesses on Monday as the number of COVID-19 cases in Canada continues to grow. Hyder said he welcomes such measures, adding they're necessary to bring a quick end to the crisis and aid the country's economic recovery.

"Mitigating the health crisis and getting ahead of the virus spread is the best way to position ourselves for that economic recovery," he told BNN Bloomberg in an interview Monday. "It minimizes the amount of time of the disruption, it minimizes the amount of time that businesses large and small are forced to close or find some kind of bridging strategy and gets us back into the recovery stage."

Hyder said the federal government should take advantage of the existing infrastructure to address the economic fallout from the pandemic.

"Now is not a time to be creating new programs," he said. "Let's use the existing infrastructure that's in place, whether that's child tax credits, whether it's EI, whether it's giving a reprieve on payroll taxes, on employment taxes, HST ... There's creative ways to do it."

The Business Council of Canada also says that governments have the power to reduce the pandemic's death toll, but only if they act aggressively.

The organization - whose member companies employ 1.7 million people in every region and sector of the country - says Canada's economy will recover, and that a more hardline approach will actually speed up that recovery.

“We applaud the steps your government and others across the country have taken to address the health emergency and provide financial support to individuals, families and businesses,” reads the letter. “But on all fronts, much more is required. The employers we represent will support you in taking the strongest possible action to combat the spread of COVID-19.”

-- With files from BNN Bloomberg