Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Welcome to all of the witnesses.
Mr. Myers, you mentioned that manufacturing is the largest sector in Toronto. We've lost, though, in the last few years over 125,000 manufacturing jobs.
I note in your presentation that you say manufacturing jobs on average have wages about 25% higher than other sectors. Of course, we had the service sector meeting with our committee this week, and I noted that food and beverage jobs pay about $300 a week, which is well below the average. While there are government claims about there being no problem in the economy because people can transfer to other jobs, often those jobs are these very low-paying jobs.
We had a recent report from the United Way about the growing poverty in the city of Toronto, double that of many other communities. Some people write off the manufacturing sector and say, well, we're moving to a knowledge economy, let China build things; we'll do other things here. What's your take on that kind of comment? My concern is that we're neglecting a crucial sector and missing an opportunity to really help industry reposition itself in an increasingly competitive environment for manufacturing.
Can I get your comments, please?