Mr. Speaker, on Parliament Hill today are more than a dozen CEOs from companies that make food and consumer products.
These are products Canadians use every day. This sector is an important part of our national economy.
It is second only to the automotive sector in terms of its share of Canada's manufacturing GDP. It employs 320,000 Canadians directly in every region in Canada and it uses 35% of all Canadian agricultural commodities in the manufacture of its products.
I ask colleagues to join me today in recognizing the important contribution this industry makes to the Canadian economy.