Thank you.
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for that introduction.
The National Seafood Sector Council provides viable solutions to human resource and labour challenges in the seafood processing industry. Numerous industry enterprises, associations, institutes, and related organizations hold membership within our council. The NSSC is a national service provider for training and learning products geared towards the seafood processing industry, and as a national leader, we approach the consultations on employability in Canada with great enthusiasm.
The National Seafood Sector Council, or NSSC, is a non-profit organization which takes its lead from industry. The NSSC was Established in 1995, the NSSC is committed to developing human resources strategies and programs targeting the entire seafood processing industry. It is a unique partnership comprised of employers, employees, unions, associations, regulatory organizations and private sector trainers, who are working together towards a common goal: a dynamic and prosperous seafood processing industry built by a well-trained and productive workforce.
The Canadian seafood processing sector is a vibrant industry and has a worldwide reputation for high-quality fish products. Approximately 35,000 workers make up this workforce, with 100 registered processing operations across the country, according to DFO.
The seafood industry accounts for 20% of total food products, with over 85% of its products and seafood production sold to over 130 countries worldwide. As the world's fifth-largest exporter of fish and seafood products, the industry contributes $4.3 billion to the Canadian economy. Lobster and crab are the country's most valuable exports. In terms of volume, it is herring and shrimp.
The seafood industry accounts for 15% of the total manufacturing workforce in Canada.
I give you all this background to show how viable our industry still is in Canada today. For the past 11 years, we have been at the forefront of Canadian seafood processors in addressing their human resource needs. The experience of our council, coupled with industry expertise, has given us great opportunity to meet the industry demands of the sector, in both a timely and effective manner.
We first developed a quality management program when the Canadian Food Inspection Agency revised its regulations. We were first off the mark, and the country was trained on that basis. We do a lot of work in food safety, which of course is a big issue in today's world. In particular, we have many tools in sanitation and hygiene.
After 9/11, bioterrorism became a critical issue with many sectors and companies that export to the U.S. It was especially important that we were able to respond and developed some training tools to enable the industry to move forward and get their products across the border.
We are also well connected. We have a regional presence in seven provinces across the country. Having someone on the ground at the forefront with industry allows us to create numerous linkages and partnerships on a yearly basis with education, NGOs, various levels of government, associations, and community groups. We have a plethora of products and services in both official languages. We have over 40 tools and services, and I do have a few samples here.
The seafood processing industry, like many others, is facing labour shortages. There are workers who are aging and preparing to exit the workforce. Not enough workers are pursuing careers in this sector at a sufficient rate to replace the aging workers, and employers in the seafood processing industry are struggling to find skilled workers.
Two areas have impacted the industry's competitiveness, and they are skilled worker shortages and the need for a national worker mobility program.