Manufacturing matters.

• Position: CORPORATE PROFILE

Now, more than ever, is a critical time for the Canadian manufacturing sector. In Ontario alone, the country's largest manufacturing province, over 2 million Ontarians are employed directly and indirectly in the industry. Accounting for 47% of all Canadian manufacturing activity, manufactured goods make up 81% of Ontario's exports, with annual sales topping $290 million.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is Canada's largest industry and trade association. Since 1871, we have been representing businesses in all sectors of manufacturing and exporting activity across Canada. Our mandate is to promote the competitiveness of Canadian manufacturers and the success of Canada's goods and services exporters in markets around the world. Our association directly represents more than 2,500 leading companies nationwide, with more than 85 per cent of our members being small and medium-sized enterprises. As Canada's leading business network, CME, through various partnerships, touches more than 100,000 companies from coast to coast, engaged in manufacturing, global business and service-related industries.

With a focus on the issues that are most critical to our members, we make our members' challenges our top priorities. CME collects and shares critical feedback and information on all the issues and current events which are topof-mind for the manufacturing industry such as NAFTA, Bill 148 Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017, Energy, Trade, Skills, Health & Safety, and more. One of our most recent important initiatives has been the Industrie 2030 Report, a study which resulted in the presentation of an official strategy and recommendations to support the continued growth and strength of Canadian manufacturing.

CME Programs

In addition to our mandate, CME has partnered with various provincial and federal government initiatives to deliver many training programs and conferences, as well as non-repayable grant programs over the years. Notably, CME's series of the SMART Program has provided over $80 million in direct funding to more than 1,400 manufacturing projects across Ontario.

Smart Productivity Assessments

In 2014, SMART partnered with FedNor to administer the SMART Productivity Assessments program through FedNor's Targeted Manufacturing Initiative for Northern Ontario. Providing financial assistance to...