I think what we've lost already, we've lost. We're not going to reclaim those jobs. We're not going to reclaim those businesses. We've seen a lot of American multinationals shift the production into the United States. Quite frankly, I expect that the last few will probably disappear over time. It's important to look at the Canadian food industry to see what policies and programs we can put together to nail that investment, keep that investment in this country.
We had a campaign about three years ago. In that campaign we really learned how important a food processor is in any given community. If you look at Leahy Orchards in Franklin Centre, Sun-Brite in Kingsville, or the companies that are around Leamington, those companies are so important not only because they provide jobs, but because they also take in, in Ontario certainly, 70% of the produce. So it's devastating.
What you want to do is you want to grow those companies. What we need as a country is a plan, an industrial strategy that says what it is we need going forward.
The competition for investment is getting more fierce. As the United States gets more competitive, the States are putting together programs to try to attract our investments into the U.S. very actively. About 50% of my board of directors have now either expanded into the United States or are considering expanding into the United States because the cost of production is lower.
We're not saying we have to get ahead on the backs of our labour or on the backs of our farmers. We require that labour, we require those farmers. They're our partners. But there are things we can do in this country to stabilize that investment and drive our costs down other ways.