Evidence of meeting #12 for International Trade in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was brand.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director, International Policy, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
It's possible that having extended discussions in that way could be useful. It's more likely, based on what we've heard, and much preferable that the three parties sort out any issues they're facing in one setting in 2026 and ideally reintroduce some stability to the relationship. I think we're all feeling the effects of what instability can be like.
If we were to have recurring annual reviews, it would amplify the current uncertainty that our businesses are facing.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Judy Sgro
Thank you very much.
There are 20 seconds remaining, which doesn't give you any time left.
Mr. Mantle, please go ahead.
Conservative
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I'm going to try to split some of my time with Mr. Groleau.
Ms. Dickinson, picking up on your work on the council, how long do you think the economy can go and how long can Canadians go without getting a deal with the U.S.?
Investor, As an Individual
That's a complex question.
With respect, I'm a politically unaffiliated private citizen and I have had a long career in business. I want to talk about what I think can happen from a business perspective. I travel abroad and I understand what's going on with Canadian products. I really don't have a sense of exactly how long Canadians can go without a deal.
I do know that we need a deal. I do know that we need to search in other markets. I do know there is opportunity for us. However, I really want to talk about what I think is the business opportunity in front of us, because that's where my expertise is.
Conservative
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Fair enough. I was hoping that as a member of the council, you might have some insight for us.
We've had difficulty on this side of the table getting transparency into the process of the negotiations, so we're trying to figure out what the plan is and what's going on. It's concerning to hear that the council, which is made up of eminent Canadians such as yourself who have deep insight into our economy, hasn't met in months when there have been significant developments since the last time you met.
Do you have a view on that?
Investor, As an Individual
Again, I am unaffiliated. I'm a private citizen and I'm trying to do what I can to support business.
I think the Prime Minister has been incredibly busy with travel abroad to get trade agreements put in place. I can't speak for what is taking up his time, other than I think he is doing what he needs to do in the role in which he is doing it.
My role is to try to provide input and advice to whoever I can, such as in meetings like this, and talk about what entrepreneurs in our country need to see happen in order to be successful. That means we need to do the things that are going to be necessary to make sure entrepreneurs can succeed, thrive and survive here, which means finding new trade markets, finding new opportunities and finding the opportunities to take down any barriers to success that are in front of them.
As a taxpayer, I think this is what we should be focused on. This is what I care about. This is where my expertise lies.
Conservative
Jacob Mantle Conservative York—Durham, ON
Thank you, Ms. Dickinson.
I'll cede the rest of time to Mr. Groleau.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Mr. Dutil, in just a moment, I will give you the opportunity to finish what you were saying.
We talked about it earlier, so I just want to add that Beauce is the region with Canada’s lowest unemployment rate. You also talked about the fact that foreign workers are important.
As a manufacturer, did the Liberal government consult you when it was time to reduce the proportion of foreign workers from 30% to 10%? What was the impact on your company?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manac Inc.
When the provincial government and federal government changed their standards, we were not consulted.
Given our economy’s slowdown, the immediate impacts are negligible. However, we have a long-term vision. We’re looking at the coming years. We expect a recovery at some point, and we recognize our region’s demographics and unemployment rate, as well as other businesses’ dynamism. We therefore know full well that labour availability will be an enormous challenge in the region for a 12 to 18-month period.
It will have a tremendous impact.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
I’ll give you the opportunity to finish what you were saying, if you like.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manac Inc.
I don’t even remember what I had started to stay.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
How many résumés does your large company receive per week? I have businesses, so I know how it is.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manac Inc.
Currently, we probably don’t get more than 15 to 20 résumés from candidates who weren’t specifically solicited.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Your company has 1,200 employees. Do these résumés have the required qualities? That’s the other issue.
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manac Inc.
Currently, all the résumés don’t have the required qualities, to be sure.
In our region, labour availability in the medium and long term is the most significant challenge. Presidential mandates and trade wars have a start and an end date, so it will end one day. That said, the demographic problem we’re facing is a long-term issue.
November 6th, 2025 / 4:25 p.m.
Conservative
Jason Groleau Conservative Beauce, QC
Exactly.
As you and I both said, our region needs qualified workers to be able to make long-term forecasts and do business. Is that the case?
President and Chief Executive Officer, Manac Inc.
We’re looking for skilled immigration, meaning competent people we select and for whom we pay permits and the first trip to come over. They are instant taxpayers for Canada and the province.
Liberal
Liberal
Peter Fonseca Liberal Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I want to follow up on what Ms. Dickinson had to say about building a Canada brand and building it strong. We know we're at our best when we're united and together. We've seen this in how strong having that brand can be. I think about the Canadarm, maple syrup and ice wine. We could go on to sports. We just saw how the country got behind the Blue Jays. That loss is still hard on all of us, but we won the 4 Nations Face-Off with Connor McDavid. I don't know if all of that drive could be quantified.
Is that an initiative that should be always ongoing and felt in alignment with government, industry, labour and everybody, really? Should it have the same understanding about this Canada brand of trust, quality and rules-based order to be able to make our case not only here in Canada, as an economic driver, but when we're doing the hard work that we're doing right now stateside in Washington? Are we able to meet that value proposition of what Canada as a trusted ally really means?
I would like you to flesh out that brand and how you see it beyond just agri-food in our country.
Investor, As an Individual
I think there's a whole strategy around it. I can talk specifically about the agri-food side, but from a brand Canada side, I was a marketer for 35 years of my career. I understand brand strategy, and I understand what needs to happen.
What has to happen has to be a rallying cry around exactly what you just asked, which is what this country stands for. How do we want to represent ourselves on the world stage, and how do we all get behind it? The more fractured we are in terms of trying to do that individually, whether that's as sectors or as provinces where we're not doing it as one voice, the harder it's going to be to have success in the markets that we're trying penetrate.
Having a unified voice and message, having consistency and having it be always on are very important when it comes to marketing because, if we're not doing it, another nation will do it.
When I was overseas in Asia, I witnessed what happens when you see New Zealand beef or the U.K. products that are out there. They are all very much branded with the country and the nation they're coming from, and people understand that. We have not done that. We have not done a good job of that.
There needs to be a collective voice. There needs to be a unified voice. There needs to be a cohesive effort made by industry, provincial governments and federal governments to talk about what this country means in terms of value, trust and accountability.
Liberal
Peter Fonseca Liberal Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
How best can we do that? There are so many moving parts.
Would it be like a Canada export tool kit that we would provide to businesses? I think a lot of the SMEs are not able to do that on their own. They just do not have the wherewithal. Who would drive that forward?
Investor, As an Individual
I think it could be done in consultation with industry sector associations plus with provincial governments and with different mandates. The tool kit, in my opinion, should come from probably the federal government, in terms of talking about what the nation is trying to accomplish here. Then it can be filtered down to the meaning of the individual sector, industry or division that's trying to support what they're doing in the context of that.
You need that umbrella campaign, and then you need that individualized campaign that ladders up to it.
Liberal
Peter Fonseca Liberal Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Often, I hear that we produce the raw materials, the fava beans and other pulses, etc., but when it comes to the packaging and getting that to the consumer, that value-add piece many times is not done in Canada. Do you think there is an opportunity there?
Investor, As an Individual
I think there is a significant economic opportunity in Canada to process, to co-pack, to manufacture and to produce products here in our nation with the commodities that we produce. We should be actually manufacturing products on a mass scale and exporting them to markets that have demands for them.
This means standing up facilities, manufacturing plants, co-packing plants and processing plants. This means doing everything we can to ensure that we are taking our commodities and that we are finding that last mile of commercialization opportunity so that we can make that revenue from that last mile of commercialization.
Liberal
Peter Fonseca Liberal Mississauga East—Cooksville, ON
Yes, with that strong Canada brand....
Looking at our negotiations, as we're doing with CUSMA in this review, is that the alignment the government is trying to bring to partners at all levels of government, industry, etc., as they go to the table? Is that something you have spoken to, speaking about brands, when our negotiators are down in Washington?