Canadian manufacturers unveil blueprint to strengthen industry amid U.S. trade threats

April 16, 2025, Ottawa — Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) has released the Blueprint to Strengthen Canadian Manufacturing, which outlines a path forward to address structural economic reforms to restore Canada’s competitiveness, investment and long-term resilience.

“The economic threats from the U.S are a wake-up call,” said Dennis Darby, president and chief executive officer of CME, in a press statement. “The next federal government must act decisively to reposition Canada’s economy – rapidly and meaningfully – with bold policies that support manufacturers and workers by making it easier to invest, build, and grow.”

The blueprint includes 17 measures to reinvigorate the Canadian economy by:

• Eliminating regulatory gridlock by reducing red tape, improving regulatory development, breaking down interprovincial trade barriers and fast-tracking project approvals.
• Accelerating innovation, investment and the adoption of advanced technologies by enhancing Canada’s tax competitiveness, reforming federal procurement, stimulating new research and development activity and investing in trade and transportation infrastructure.
• Expanding and upskilling the manufacturing workforce by increasing training and development support, better aligning immigration policy with manufacturers’ needs and delivering short-term support for in-demand occupations.
• Realizing Canada’s energy potential and reduce global emissions by streamlining energy project approvals, strengthening government-industry collaboration on climate and energy policy and helping small and medium-sized manufacturers lower their environmental impact.

“The very foundation of Canada’s manufacturing sector is at risk and it is essential that policymakers take bold action so that we can better control our own economic destiny. Canadian manufacturers will be working urgently with the incoming federal government to advance these practical measures to create a supportive environment that encourages investment, innovation, and job growth,” Darby concluded in a media release.

You can read the full report Blueprint to Strengthen Canadian Manufacturing.