Latest news with #CanadianManufacturers
National Post
18-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Michael Taube: Unifor wants to turn Canada into a third-rate banana republic
It's no secret that labour unions are opposed to capitalism, free markets and globalization. But Unifor's ludicrous demand that Canadian companies should be penalized if they don't work to further Canada's 'national interest' is pure insanity. Article content Lana Payne, Unifor's national president, wrote a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney last month, relaying her union's concerns about Canadian manufacturers closing up shop and moving south to avoid U.S. tariffs. Payne urged Carney to take 'immediate and decisive action using the Foreign Extraterritorial Measures Act (FEMA), to prevent corporations, operating in Canada, from offshoring jobs in response to foreign trade policies — particularly those originating from the United States.' Article content Article content Article content Payne noted that FEMA 'allows the attorney general, with the support of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, to issue blocking orders prohibiting compliance with foreign laws or directives that are contrary to Canadian interests.' What would this entail, exactly? 'These orders can make it a federal offence to move production out of Canada in response to foreign trade measures, carrying penalties of up to $1.5 million for corporations and up to five years' imprisonment for individuals,' wrote Payne. Article content Article content Fines and incarceration for offshoring? Payne and Unifor must be out of their minds! Alas, this is the typical narrow-minded view that many union leaders and members have when it comes to understanding private enterprise and how most businesses operate. The basic concept of outsourcing has long been an important component of the free market economy. It enables companies to be more competitive and achieve greater financial potential, thus protecting workers and their jobs, by focusing on their core competencies. Article content Article content Entrepreneur Sam Darwish wrote in Forbes in 2021 that, 'Outsourcing is a great way to help your business as it progresses through its various growth stages.' He highlighted several economic benefits of outsourcing that companies should utilize. It can lead to steady growth 'because it's more affordable to outsource the work than it is to build your own in-house team, and because you can cancel an outsourcing contract without having to put people out of work.' Outsourcing gives a business the ability to retain additional flexibility since it can 'staff up before a busy season without the financial commitment of hiring in-house employees, the cost of which can take years to break even on.' Article content Article content Darwish also pointed out that outsourcing agencies 'are capable of attracting top talent to ensure customer satisfaction and competitive results.' Hiring the best-qualified candidates can help build a company's brand and enhance its reputation, which are both vital to success in a competitive marketplace. Outsourcing enables a company to 'provide your customers with consistent customer service,' and allows 'your internal team members to focus on their own tasks, helping your business run more efficiently and ultimately increasing your (return on investment).'
CBC
12-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
What's behind Mark Carney's military splurge?
For years now Canada's been badgered to pony up, and spend more money on the military. Those calls have come from our actual military itself, our NATO allies, and more recently the U.S. President. Well it looks like Mark Carney is going to pull out the credit card, and commit to spending an extra $9.3-billion on the armed forces by March, bumping our military spending up to two per cent of Canada's entire GDP. Carney has also pledged to end this country's reliance on the U.S. for equipment by diverting billions of dollars in spending to Canadian manufacturers. The timing awkwardly coincided with news about an embarrassing foray into Canadian military procurement: our plans to buy a fleet of F-35 fighter jets from America that the auditor general reported was billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. So, what is Carney's vision for the future of our military? And how serious are the threats against Canada? David Pugliese, defence reporter with the Ottawa Citizen, talks us through it. Fill out our listener survey here . We appreciate your input! For transcripts of Front Burner, please visit: Subscribe to Front Burner on your favourite podcast app. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on YouTube
CBC
12-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Keep calm and train skilled manufacturing workers in spite of tariffs: report
Social Sharing U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports may contribute to unemployment in the short term, but Ontario's manufacturing sector still stands to grow long-term, and much more needs to be done to make sure Canada has enough workers with the skills to do the jobs. That's the message of a new report from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters titled Keep Calm and Keep Training. Canada's automotive sector may be under pressure from U.S. tariffs, said the organization's president and CEO, Dennis Darby. But the country is a major producer of food products, machinery, chemicals and oil and gas, and recent investments in EV and battery production present huge opportunities. "We think there could be a million people working in manufacturing by … 2035," Darby said. The sector employed just over 830,000 people in 2024. The report draws information from two surveys of manufacturers conducted in December 2024 and January through March 2025. Focus on education funding "The big insight was somewhere just under 30,000 people a year are going to retire out of the sector over the next eight years," Darby said. "And we are certainly not in a great position right now to be able to replace all of those folks." It found that even in southwestern Ontario, which is heavily exposed to the effects of the U.S. trade war, respondents cited shortages of some skilled trades people. "While this pressure will abate to an extent as the short-term impact of tariffs is felt, general concerns with the aging of manufacturing workers highlight the need for long-term regional coordination," it read. The report touches on a number of threats to the sector's workforce – economic unpredictability, skill shortages and funding constraints at colleges and universities – and identifies a range of potential solutions. Those included more incentives for apprenticeship programs; more exposure to trades in high schools; better collaboration between industry and post-secondary institutions; more degree offerings, such as mechatronics; more seats in college apprenticeship programs and attracting workers from underrepresented groups. But a big focus is funding for education, particularly at the secondary and post-secondary levels – money to expand programs, invest in high tech equipment and create more seats. There is also a call for more incentives for apprenticeship programs. Economist Jim Stanford, the director of the Vancouver-based Centre of Future Work, said the report's focus on continued training makes sense because as Canada navigates through the instability caused by the Trump administration, it will need the best workforce possible. Employers need to do their part And he said he fully supports governments playing a bigger role in it. But he said employers also need to do their share, including paying corporate taxes. "You know, it's always ironic when business groups who are constantly demanding tax cuts and other forms of incentives are also saying, 'Government, you must step up your support for colleges and universities,'" he said. "Yes, we need that support. And everyone, including companies, has to pay their fair share toward it." CBC News reached out to the Ministry of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security for a response to the report. Among other things, we asked whether the government intended to increase post-secondary funding and address the request for funding for high tech training equipment. The press secretary for Minister Nolan Quinn replied with an emailed statement saying the ministry continues to ensure Ontario has the highly skilled workforce needed to drive economic growth. "As our latest step to protect Ontario, we're investing over $800 million to fund news STEM and skilled trades seats at colleges and universities across the province, building on last year's historic $1.3 billion investment and the $5 billion we contribute annually to post secondary education – strengthening the pipeline of highly skilled workers to drive our economy across our critical sectors, including manufacturing," Bianca Giacoboni said. "We're also expanding the Skills Development Fund by nearly $1 billion to support workers impacted by U.S. tariffs, provide in-demand job training, help employers up-skill staff, and [create] new, innovative partnerships between industry and post secondary [institutions]."
CTV News
09-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos starting to take a toll on industry
Tariffs on steel, aluminum and autos starting to take a toll on industry Dennis Darby, CEO of Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, joins CTV News to discuss job losses in the manufacturing sector and what's driving the trend.
