Latest news with #DennisDarby
Cision Canada
16-05-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
CME STATEMENT ON SUPPORTS FOR ONTARIO MANUFACTURERS IN 2025 BUDGET
TORONTO, May 16, 2025 /CNW/ - Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) applauds the Government of Ontario for taking decisive action in its 2025 budget to support manufacturers as they face historic challenges created by U.S. tariffs. The province's bold response - through expanded financial support and strategic investment - recognizes the critical role manufacturing plays in Ontario's economy and its future. A key pre-budget ask from CME, the enhancement of the Ontario Made Manufacturing Investment Tax Credit – which raises the credit rate from 10% to 15% and expands eligibility to include non-Canadian-controlled private corporations – along with the introduction of the Ontario Together Trade Fund, represent a timely and targeted approach to help manufacturers invest. "These flexible incentives and grants will help businesses buy crucial equipment and tools when they need it most, supporting their pivot to new opportunities," said Dennis Darby, President and CEO of CME. CME also welcomes the creation of the Trade Impacted Communities Program, which will equip ecosystem partners as they seek to create supportive business conditions and safeguard the manufacturing jobs Ontarians rely on. As highlighted in CME's latest report, Keep Calm and Keep Training, workforce development remains an urgent priority for the manufacturing sector. CME commends the province for its continued commitment to building a stronger workforce, including a $1 billion boost to the Skills Development Fund for industry, and $750 million in funding for STEM programs at post-secondary institutions. "These historic commitments mark a turning point. By working together, we can build on Ontario's strong industrial foundation to usher in an Ontario Made economic revolution - one that champions homegrown innovation, drives global competitiveness, and secures long-term prosperity for all Ontarians," concluded Darby. ABOUT CANADIAN MANUFACTURERS & EXPORTERS (CME) Since 1871, CME has made a difference for Canada's manufacturing and exporting communities. Fighting for their future. Saving them money. Helping manufacturers grow. The association directly represents manufacturers large and small, across all subsectors, from automotive, aerospace and food to the materials, technology and energy that support them. More than 85 percent of CME's members are small and medium-sized enterprises. CME's membership network accounts for an estimated 82 percent of total manufacturing production and 90 percent of Canada's exports.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Keep calm and train skilled manufacturing workers in spite of tariffs: report
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]."
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.
CBC
02-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Getting youth interested in manufacturing crucial for future of Ontario sector: report
As local manufacturers grapple with the ongoing trade war with the U.S., they're also contending with another equally pressing issue — a rapidly aging workforce and an urgent need for new, trained workers. A new report from Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), released Thursday, shows Ontario's manufacturing sector is set to lose 22,500 workers per year through 2033 from retirement. It's an issue set to hit the London to Windsor corridor hard, where the sector employs tens of thousands of people, or nearly 16 per cent of all jobs. Considered the heart of Canadian manufacturing, the corridor has faced ongoing labour shortages and challenges securing enough graduates in certain trades, CME says. A projected drop in college enrolment numbers, driven by the federal cap on international study permits, will only exacerbate the problem, along with corresponding financial pressures and program cuts. "We've had a difficult time getting new folks in and really getting (them) ready to be that productive, next-generation workforce," Dennis Darby, CME's president and CEO, told Afternoon Drive. That next-generation workforce is needed not just to replace retirees but to fill new positions at new manufacturing expansions, including the EV battery plants in St. Thomas and Windsor. It's critical, Darby says, to begin engaging students as early as Grade 6 and 7 about the possibility of entering careers in manufacturing. "It's about not only ... how do we get kids to take the courses, like everything from mechanics to machinists to CNC operators, but also to upskill the workers we have," he said. "We've got an awful lot of people that have been in the sector for years ... and we've got to constantly upskill, all because we're going to have to be more competitive." The association makes several proposals, including improving incentives for employers to offer on-the-job training, and "addressing obstacles causing apprentices and students to abandon the sector." It also suggests more be done to attract women, Indigenous people and immigrants to the sector. It comes on the heels of a separate report from the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario (FAO). Released Wednesday, the FAO report estimates U.S. tariffs and Canada's response could lead to an estimated 68,100 fewer jobs in Ontario this year, rising to 119,200 by next year. The tariffs would impact southwestern Ontario cities and manufacturing hardest. In the London area specifically, employment could fall 1.3 per cent in 2026, making it the fifth-most impacted Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in Ontario, the FAO says. Driven by reduced demand for Ontario exports, the province's real GDP growth would slow to 0.6 per cent, compared to 1.7 without tariffs. "This implies that a modest recession would occur in 2025," the report says. Ontario's GDP would take the biggest hit from tariffs on motor vehicle parts, primary metals, and motor vehicle manufacturing. The agency based its analysis on trade actions announced by Canada and the U.S. as of April 17. U.S. Customs and Border Protection guidance released Thursday said CUSMA-compliant auto parts would not face the 25 per cent auto part duties set to go into effect May 3. It's not clear what effect this would have on the FAO's projections. Trump trying to 'break' the auto industry, says car parts association president 8 days ago Duration 7:22 U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday that auto tariffs on Canada 'could go up.' Flavio Volpe, president of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, says Trump is 'trying to break the industry' and adds that Trump is not taking into account the jobs in the U.S. that depend on Canada's auto industry. The trade war has eroded consumer confidence on both sides of the border, driving down demand for goods and services, said Fraser Johnson, a professor of operations management at Ivey Business School. Johnson runs the Ivey Purchasing Managers Index, which measures the month-to-month variation in economic activity as indicated by a panel of purchasing managers from across Canada. "We've seen a softening in terms of purchases, which is a leading economic indicator, and we've seen an escalation of prices over the last four months," he said. "It presents the risk of stagflation, where we have slow economic growth and rising prices." Small and medium-sized businesses are most vulnerable, he said. Canada's real GDP shrank in February by 0.2 per cent, while in the U.S., the economy shrank at a 0.3 per cent annual pace from January through March, the first decline in three years. Trade with the U.S. accounts for at least 77 per cent of the Ontario's total goods exports. Nearly 940,000 jobs in Ontario, roughly one out of every nine, are U.S. export-related, many of them in manufacturing, the FAO said.
