Yes, well, they have injuries, though.
The game is rough and it's fast and to win you need to have a total package. You can't say, “I have one scorer and he's going to win the game”. You need to have the total package.
This scorecard in front of you today is our total package. Without reading the text, just by looking at the pluses and minuses, you can see that there are things where we're ahead and there are things where we're going down. We have to address the areas where we're weak and reinforce the areas where we're strong.
Industries like ours do not favour subsidies, handouts, or even special treatment, but we expect governments to do their part by creating the policy environment required for manufacturers to compete globally and by avoiding the introduction of measures that undermine or reduce competitiveness. We need policies that encourage investment in manufacturing and upgrading resources that stimulate progress toward sustainability objectives, which we believe is integral to that.
Although some progress has been made recently in corporate tax, and we think the harmonization of taxes in Ontario was a big step forward, the fact remains that there are major obstacles to investing in Canada compared to other jurisdictions.
These issues were well documented in the excellent all-party report by Mr. Rajotte, which made 14 recommendations. Some have been addressed, but I think it's fair to say that the response has been relatively tepid and there's still a lot of room for government policy improvement in relation to manufacturing.
To conclude, we are at a critical time. The creation of this subcommittee corresponds to the urgency that has been felt in many sectors of the economy. But as trying as these times are for manufacturing, there's a real opportunity to create some policy direction for the Canadian economy after this recession. There's an opportunity to rethink some of our assumptions about Canadian manufacturing and develop a road map for the future.
I don't know if that's your mandate, but who knows? These days, people can make their own mandates.
I would like to encourage you and your committee to build on the work of the Rajotte committee report, think beyond the problems of particular sectors and even this recession, and address the medium- and long-term requirements for a competitive manufacturing sector as part of a strong Canadian economy.
Thank you.