Industry Committee Tables Report on Manufacturing in Canada

OTTAWA – The House of Commons Standing Committee on Industry Science and Technology, for which Red Deer – Mountain View MP Earl Dreeshen serves as Vice Chair, has tabled its report on the state of Canada’s manufacturing sector.

The report, titled The Canadian Manufacturing Sector: Urgent Need to Adapt, included an overview of the issues currently facing the manufacturing industry.

“Conservatives will continue to fight for our Canadian manufacturers; if we want to create jobs, grow our economy and strengthen our communities, we need to make sure that we foster an environment that will allow our Canadian manufacturers  to be competitive for years to come” said Dreeshen.

“Business is facing growing challenges, including electricity pricing, pension programs, and environmental policies such as cap and trade,” said Dr. Pearl Sullivan, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Waterloo.

According to the Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, the manufacturing sector is directly and indirectly responsible for over 4.7 million jobs across Canada and for 28 percent of the GDP, but the industry has seen a notable drop in employment over the past decade.

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The committee report was commissioned to analyze the factors contributing to this decline, and to provide ideas to make Canada’s manufacturing sector more competitive.

Throughout the course of the study, many witnesses expressed their concerns about certain factors that negatively impact employment in the manufacturing industry, such as a carbon tax and increases to CPP premiums.

The report calls on the Government to analyze the negative effects that these types of policies have on creating jobs for Canadians and competing in the global market.

(Gary McKinnon)