Evidence of meeting #38 for Finance in the 43rd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was sector.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Jean-François Perrault  Chief Economist, Scotiabank
Sherry Cooper  Chief Economist, Dominion Lending Centres
Mathieu D'Anjou  Director and Deputy Chief Economist, Desjardins Group
Avery Shenfeld  Managing Director and Chief Economist, CIBC Capital Markets
Jeff Wareham  Chief Executive Officer, Catch Capital Partners Inc.
David Macdonald  Senior Economist, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives
Douglas Porter  Chief Economist, BMO Bank of Montreal
Catherine Cobden  President, Canadian Steel Producers Association
Gary Sands  Senior Vice-President, Small Business Coalition, Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers
Yannis Karlos  Co-Chair, Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment
Bill Bewick  Executive Director, Fairness Alberta
Pascale St-Onge  President, Fédération nationale des communications
Sophie Prégent  President of Union des artistes, Fédération nationale des communications
Luc Perreault  Strategic Advisor, Independent Broadcast Group
John Lewis  International Vice-President and Director of Canadian Affairs, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
Arden Ryshpan  Executive Director of Canadian Actors' Equity Association, International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees
Lawrence Morroni  Marketing Manager, Triodetic Sales, Triodetic Ltd
Peter Chabursky  Manager, MultiPoint Foundation Division, Triodetic Ltd
Stuart Back  Co-Chair, Association for Mountain Parks Protection and Enjoyment

7 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Mr. Julian, go ahead, and we'll have to wrap it up after you.

7 p.m.

NDP

Peter Julian NDP New Westminster—Burnaby, BC

Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to all our witnesses. It's been a very interesting discussion.

My final question is for you, Ms. Cobden.

Brian Masse, our industry critic, and MPs like Scott Duvall and Matthew Green have been talking about the importance of having the steel industry involved in an overall industrial strategy.

In Canada, we haven't done a very good job compared to other countries. How important is it for Canada to finally develop an industrial strategy with one of the key components being steel producers and the steel industry?

7 p.m.

President, Canadian Steel Producers Association

Catherine Cobden

I think it's one of the lessons we need to take forward from this pandemic. We've lived through a horrible circumstance here, but one of the bright spots in it is the understanding of the importance of manufacturing in the Canadian economy and the role it can play to have the capabilities in our own country to make and create necessary and essential goods. I think that is a really important aspect. Steel producers are the largest manufacturers. We're a significant footprint in that regard, so a strategy that really takes shape and understands the aspects of how we continue to grow our business and be successful is obviously something that we would support.

7 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Thank you.

I have just a couple of points.

Mr. Bewick, could you send us those eight points you mentioned on equalization?

7 p.m.

Executive Director, Fairness Alberta

Bill Bewick

I can do that.

7 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Mr. Karlos, you mentioned four points to assist parks. I know you didn't get to elaborate much on it. If you could send those to the clerk, as well, they will be in the record. Send them to the clerk, and we'll pass them on to Finance.

Triodetic, you were asked no questions. We just met prior to this panel with bank economists. They certainly said that health is one of the areas that is key to the recovery, dealing with the health side of this.

Have you approached anyone or has anyone approached you on what you indicated your company can do in terms of quickly setting up medical facilities and those kinds of things? I think you have a very, very interesting proposal that would certainly apply to Mr. McLeod's territory up north where there are problems with permafrost and everything. Have you been approached on the health side about what your company can do?

7:05 p.m.

Manager, MultiPoint Foundation Division, Triodetic Ltd

Peter Chabursky

Actually, we have. It's been happening since this pandemic was announced in March. The paperwork has been in the works. The designs have been in the works. They've just come across our table now in the last week, actually finalized.

We're working with a steel-frame manufacturer in Ottawa to create these quick, deployable rooms, hospitals or buildings that our foundations can go on to. You have a steel structure and a steel foundation that will be able to go basically anywhere in Canada. It will be containerized. Again, it can be used by any provincial government, any ministry, any municipal authority that needs support and help in terms of quarantine.

Say we have the workers coming in to pick our fruits and vegetables. We need to have a secure place for them. That will be available as a facility. If you need to do some triage up north, especially in the Arctic regions, this either can be deployed by a barge or can be sent up in the back of a Hercules airplane because it's all containerized.

We are working very diligently. It's coming to fruition as we speak. I can't say anything else. There are certain legalities that I cannot divulge right now. It's in the works, and we're thankful for the support from the Canadian government in this project.

I think you, as a committee, are aware of what's going to be happening pretty soon.

7:05 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Wayne Easter

Okay.

Thank you, all, for your presentations.

This was a fairly mixed, wide-ranging panel that's covered a lot of bases. I think it shows how complicated things are in this pandemic time.

On behalf of the committee, I thank everyone for their presentations, for taking our questions and also for the constructive criticism that was laid out. We appreciate it from all angles. Thank you again.

The meeting is adjourned.