INDU Committee Report

CHAIR’S FOREWORD

Canada’s manufacturing sector is a vital component of our economy. Manufacturing is Canada’s largest business sector, accounting for 18% of all of Canada’s economic activity and providing employment for 2.1 million people. Additionally, every dollar of manufacturing output is estimated to generate over three dollars of total economic activity.

While the rest of the Canadian economy is generally very robust, many industries within the manufacturing sector are struggling to remain competitive against the backdrop of a Canadian dollar that has risen in value by 40% in just three years in comparison to its American counterpart, rising energy costs and increasing global competition, to name but a few challenges.

The Committee has undertaken an intensive study of the challenges facing the manufacturing sector with the aim of providing specific recommendations to the Government of Canada on how it can help the sector adapt to these challenges. The Committee began its hearings in May 2006, and intends to continue them when Parliament resumes sitting in the fall. The Committee believes that it is important at this time to table an interim report so that the federal government is aware of the challenges facing the manufacturing sector and the potential solutions proposed by the witnesses to date.

I would like to thank all of the witnesses who have appeared before the Committee thus far, and also thank the members of the Committee for their hard work on this study over a relatively short period of time. The Committee looks forward to hearing from other witnesses in the fall to help complete its study on this very important topic.