Finance committee  Yes, we've been working for a couple of years now with WAGE and the minister there, doing some really good work. One thing exactly like that is that we're trying to get young women and girls to experience what manufacturing is—not just shop-floor welding, but all the various positions, from the CEO right down.

Finance committee  That's a great question. In fact, we've been working with the Department of Finance, Industry Canada and others in Ottawa for seven or eight months on exactly this scenario. We want to see the wage subsidy program wound down. We want to see all the programs wound down—I don't think anyone in the business community should say otherwise, anyway—but this has to be done in a way that is reflective of the economic growth of an individual company and not just broad-based data.

Finance committee  Yes. We did a survey of the manufacturing community in the fall, and 53% of the respondents to that survey said they had used the wage subsidy program.

Finance committee  We haven't done an updated survey since the fall, unfortunately.

Finance committee  Yes, and I think the government has done quite a bit over the last number of years, but it tends to not be focused on all the right areas all the time, and that's fine; everyone has different priorities. There are really three challenges that the sector faces, and some of the programs help, but they don't help holistically.

Finance committee  Well, maybe I'd even say it's more individual-driven, because I think everyone's in a different situation, Mr. Fast. What worries us is that if you try to create one type of an approach on anything, you're going to miss out or limit opportunities for other people to participate.

Finance committee  That would be a big guess. Our goal is to add 100,000 more women to the workforce in manufacturing. There are 1.7 million in the workforce, and roughly 25% are women, so we'd like to add another 100,000 on top of that. We were making great progress before COVID. Unfortunately COVID, as is the case in a lot of places, caused a setback.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Fast. Yes, it's been a huge problem. We've been working with the federal government for a number of months now on a number of the border measures. We have been very supportive of the overall approach the government has taken. However, a lot of the things that were supposed to be deemed essential, like the manufacturing sector and related critical infrastructure parts of the economy, are still falling into a lot of the quarantine measures.

Finance committee  I think the issue has been more the uncertainty when they come to the border. We're not really seeing a lot of people. Our sector has been pretty cautious in terms of sending too many people across the border. They're only really sending what they need to, and a lot of people are moving across land borders, so the issue has been more the land border and uncertainty when they arrive at the border and what the requirements might be.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon. Thank you for inviting me to participate in today's discussion. It's my pleasure to be here on behalf of Canada's 90,000 manufacturers and exporters to discuss federal government support programs on COVID-19 and to outline the need for a strong response to grow the economy moving forward.

International Trade committee  We have to help small companies access those foreign markets. We do a terrible job in Canada overall, in that very few companies actually export. If we don't get more small companies exporting, we will never change the dynamic. This is not a new thing. It predates COVID-19. It's just been highlighted by COVID-19.

International Trade committee  I'll maybe add a couple of things. We certainly see a long haul out of this. It will recover eventually—everything always does—but it will take a while, and there will be some shifts in those supply chains. For Canada, we can't forget that three-quarters of our trade is with the United States.

International Trade committee  Yes, we definitely need a national manufacturing strategy. Procurement should be a core part of it. We released our strategy on what we're calling a recovery and prosperity strategy. Just two weeks ago I met with about 75 MPs during a virtual lobby day to present this. We think it's critical.

International Trade committee  To be perfectly honest with you, I don't know. I really hope that a Canadian exemption is created on this because of the integrated supply chains, but I don't know. It's so political. Maybe others on the call can make a better guess than I can, but I would assume so. That's a guess at best, though.

International Trade committee  Those American companies are well aware of how it's going to impact them, and they are working with the White House and U.S. trade officials to avoid the impacts. You mentioned automotive. Most automakers use aluminum castings for engines and other things. Ford's F-150, the bestselling vehicle in North America, has an almost entirely aluminum body.