Thank you for the opportunity to provide Ford of Canada's views on the renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
The Ford Motor Company is a global automotive and mobility company with about 202,000 employees in 62 plants worldwide. As Canada's longest-established automaker, Ford has employed thousands of Canadians since 1904 in high-quality advanced manufacturing jobs that have helped to build and sustain Canada's middle class. Today in Canada, Ford employs over 8,300 men and women in three vehicle assembly and engine manufacturing plants, three R and D centres, and two parts and distribution centres. Ford's network of 428 dealers supports more than 19,000 employees and communities across Canada. In addition, Ford purchases over $5 billion annually from Canadian parts suppliers to support both our Canadian and global footprint.
Since 2000, Ford has invested over $12 billion in our Canadian operations, including $700 million in Oakville, to produce vehicles in Canada for global markets like China, South America, and now Europe. Last year, in 2016, Ford exported over 18,000 Oakville-built Edges to Europe, including right-hand drive and diesel versions.
Earlier this year, we were proud to announce an additional investment of $1.2 billion to secure a new engine program for our Windsor operations, and to create Ford's first-ever Canadian product development centre, the connectivity and innovation centre, here in Ottawa, in fact, with 300 software and hardware engineers pursuing R and D in connected vehicle technologies.
Needless to say, Canada is a very important market for Ford, and we are proud that Ford has been the number one brand in Canada for eight years.
Trade is fundamental to our business. Each year, on a global basis, Ford exports over 40% of the vehicles that we build worldwide. In Canada, trade policy is even more fundamental to the success of our operations, since 100% of the engines and 90% of the vehicles that Ford builds in Canada are exported.
In the last decade, Ford has increasingly diversified our exports from Canada to countries outside North America. Last year, in fact—