Canadian Manufacturing Coalition urges swift passage of CUSMA

OTTAWA (January 30, 2019) — The Canadian Manufacturing Coalition (CMC) which is comprised of over 30 business associations from the manufacturing industry, including CME, today issued the following statement:

“Manufacturers across the country congratulate the government for starting the Canada United States Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) ratification process and call on Members of Parliament and Senators from all parties to put politics aside and work together to ratify this important agreement as soon as possible.

Free trade is essential to Canadian manufacturing. That is why the CMC worked closely with the government throughout the NAFTA renegotiations to ensure that integrated manufacturing not only remained unharmed but strengthened. CUSMA achieved that objective and is a win-win-win for all three countries.

The ratification of CUSMA will enable manufacturers to maintain critical access to the American and Mexican markets and put an end to trade uncertainty.

Manufacturing directly accounts for roughly 11 percent of Canada’s GDP and over 1.7 million Canadian jobs. Nearly two-thirds of Canada’s exports are manufactured goods and more than 80 percent of these exports go to our CUSMA partners. Much of this trade is due to integrated manufacturing operations across North America. This integration has created a unique relationship for our countries; we do not simply trade goods with each other, we build things together, we innovate together, and we compete together.”

 

ABOUT CMC

The Coalition is comprised of more than 30 major industry associations, united by a common vision for a world-class manufacturing sector in Canada. The coalition speaks with one voice on priority issues affecting manufacturers and what must be done to ensure all Canadians continue to enjoy economic growth, high-value outputs and high-paying jobs. Collectively the Coalition’s members represent roughly 90,000 companies and 1.7 Canadian employees from coast to coast.

ABOUT CME

Since 1871, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters has been helping manufacturers grow at home and, compete around the world. Our focus is to ensure manufacturers are recognized as engines for growth in the economy, with Canada acknowledged as both a global leader and innovator in advanced manufacturing and a global leader in exporting. CME is a member-driven association that directly represents more than 2,500 leading companies who account for an estimated 82 per cent of manufacturing output and 90 per cent of Canada’s exports.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Stefi Proulx
Director of Communications
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters
C:  613-292-6070 | stefi.proulx@cme-mec.ca | @CME_MEC