Make your voice count

October 22, 2009 - February 2, 2010

 
Join us in this national campaign to raise awareness of manufacturing in Canada by inviting your MP to tour your manufacturing facility
 
 
Manufacturing. If you read headlines of Canadian newspapers on a daily basis, Canada’s largest business sector is portrayed as an industry in decline; the latest addition to the endangered species list.

Not true. Undoubtedly manufacturers from coast to coast have been under tremendous pressure the past few years and the Great Recession has been the catalyst of more job losses and plant closures in the past 12 months. Despite this barrage of challenges, the main wealth creation segment of the economy is evolving, not declining.

Looking into the future, manufacturing will be the foundation to any economic recovery strategy that moves Canada into the next decade. As the industry strives to define itself in the new economy, we have to work together to raise awareness about Canada’s most innovative industry.

Manufacturing in the 21st century is high tech, highly skilled, high value and high paying and much more than just assembly. Today, manufacturing encompasses the complete business system that incorporates the life cycle of the project – from design to engineering; marketing to distribution. In the global economy, companies focus more on assembling their world-wide network of supply chains than piecing together products. Welcome to the new reality.

And this new reality; the new age of manufacturing is what Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is conveying to federal/provincial decision makers during its Manufacturing our Future campaign. The campaign will launch October 22, 2009 and will continue to run until February 2, 2010 – the day manufacturers and exporters from coast to coast will meet in Ottawa for CME’s Economic Recovery Summit.

The focus of the campaign is on education – open your doors and bring your MP to work. If we want a business climate where manufacturers and exporters can flourish, our policy makers need to understand what the industry is about.

Participate in this exciting national initiative by inviting your MP to tour your manufacturing facility. The intention is to raise awareness of manufacturing in Canada and the need to build a world-class business environment in support of manufacturers in this country. The purpose of the visit is to:

• Highlight the importance of manufacturing to local communities and to the Canadian economy as a whole;
• Showcase world-class manufacturing facilities; and,
• Explain why issues such as capital investment, innovation, workforce capabilities and skills development, access to international markets and effective enforcement of trade rules, reliable and cost competitive energy and logistics infrastructure and cost competitive regulations are so important to manufacturers.

We bet almost every MP will be surprised to see first-hand 21st century manufacturing in Canada.

Without a vibrant manufacturing sector in Canada, we won’t enjoy the same standard of living, plain and simple.  Manufacturing matters – to you, to me, to Stephen Harper, to your neighbours and to your community. So it’s in the best interest of the economy and of the country to understand the nuts and bolts of Canada’s largest business sector.

For more information, contact Jeff Brownlee, CME vice president public affairs at 613-238-8888 ext. 4233 or email jeff.brownlee@cme-mec.ca.