Recommendation 2 - Building Canada’s Industrial Economy
Canada operates in a global economy that is changing and is affected by many factors, including shifting capital investment, climate change, new technologies and automation, geopolitics and conflict, health crises, and changes to trade regimes.
Canada’s working class must act together to leverage our labour, skills, knowledge and energy to drive new investments in productive industries that will build Canada’s future. To support this, we must establish comprehensive fact-based industrial strategies that will build wealth, establish and sustain good jobs, and guarantee prosperous communities for generations.
Federal, provincial, and municipal governments make investments that could support industrial production in Canada. The procurement of goods and services, domestically, is an essential component of industrial strategies to address the needs of our country while supporting jobs here in Canada.
Canada’s manufacturing sector has been hard hit by governments who chose not to support continued investment. However, government orientation to the economy since the pandemic has changed and a more active government has secured tens and tens of billions in industrial investments. These investments support growth in industrial jobs. They also support public services, such as health care and education.
Unifor’s membership and breadth of experience across more than 20 sectors create a credible and well-informed voice to influence industrial strategies that meet the country’s needs and create good jobs.
As Unifor National President, I recommend that Unifor:
- Launch a national cross-sector campaign to support investment in Canada’s industrial economy, which will:
- Engage and draw from our union’s industry councils and membership to inform our economic vision for the future;
- Promote best practice public procurement policy in Canada, that directs public spending for Canadian content, supports domestic economic growth, environmental sustainability, and creates good, union jobs;
- Advocate for procurement policy reform across various levels of government, as well as identify specific and strategic areas on which the union can engage to advance Canada’s industrial development and industrial strategy; and
- Develop a plan targeting government officials and relevant procuring entities, at the federal, provincial, territorial and municipal levels, as required.
