CME calls on Federal Government to support manufacturing sector

Dennis Darby, President and CEO, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, commented on the federal budget revealed for the manufacturing sector.

According to CME, the pandemic has shed light on the importance of Canada’s manufacturing sector. “Manufacturers produce what our country needs. However, to do that, the Federal Government needs to address the chronic skills and labour shortages to make sure we can play our part when will come the time to restart our economy. Canada is lagging far behind when it comes to productivity. We must act now to turn the tide.”

To achieve this, CME calls on the Federal Government to:

• Support R&D spending and scale-up of companies by improving and enhancing the SR&ED program.
• De-risk and encourage manufacturers to digitize, automate, adopt advanced technology, and help drive productivity growth.
• Promote economic immigration.
• Adjust the rules for the temporary foreign worker program.
• Help the manufacturing sector adapt to and advance Canada’s climate change strategy.