I am speaking to you in my capacity as an engineer, co-owner of PREXOR Optimoule, and member of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Association of Moldmakers.
PREXOR is a Quebec-based company with over 40 years of expertise in the design and manufacture of high-precision moulds for strategic sectors such as the medical and defence industries.
The manufacturing industry, including the mould-making sector, has been threatened with extinction for nearly 25 years due to direct and unfair competition from low-cost countries. These ongoing threats—and sudden ones in the case of the United States—continue to erode the sector.
PREXOR, which employs only 30 people, is now the largest mould maker in Quebec, a position it attained following the successive closures of many of my peers. Our domestic capabilities are eroding, and our independence will be affected. Just as food self-sufficiency was established after the two world wars, manufacturing self-sufficiency is now a vital necessity.
Sixty per cent of my company’s production is destined for the United States. Our customer base allows us to stay in business. With these new tariffs, our customers are increasingly uncertain about doing business with Canada, and they may turn to other countries that offer lower costs and fewer tariffs.
PREXOR cannot afford to hire lobbyists or relocate its workforce. We will have to close our doors in the medium term if nothing changes. Our industry relies on expertise that requires years of specialized training and apprenticeship on complex, high-value equipment. Once these skills and investments are lost, these production capabilities cannot be restored overnight.
To guarantee a sovereign supply chain and ensure its defence, Canada must be able to rely on an independent manufacturing industry, whether it involves the production of bulletproof helmets, tank tracks, or radar systems adapted to the cold of Canada’s Far North.
The manufacturing industry demonstrated its agility during the pandemic by urgently producing protective equipment. It is the foundation of every product made in Canada. This industry needs immediate government support to survive, to retain its workforce, and to ensure that Canada does not depend on third countries for its security.