Industry committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. Thank you very much for inviting us here to discuss the state of e-commerce in Canada today and how it's being utilized by our members. CME represents about 10,000 members from across Canada. We chair the 47 member associatio

Industry committee  It's probably a little bit of both. I would say one of the biggest factors historically, though, has been the length of time it takes to write off the capital equipment you're investing in, ICT or otherwise. Until a few years ago, we didn't have an accelerated system, so it was t

Industry committee  Shrinking that writeoff from thirteen years to two years has boosted the ability of companies to invest a significant amount, and that should mean a closing of that gap. At least I hope it would mean that.

Industry committee  I'll make a general comment. I don't know, Martin, if you have anything else to add. Because of the breadth of companies, from large multinationals to small software engineering firms, there's probably a broad spectrum of where they are on that. I couldn't put a definitive answ

Industry committee  I think there has been a lot done. The ACCA will help quite a bit, as I mentioned earlier. It's a critical thing. Making that a permanent deduction would be very helpful. Right now it's only a two-year phase that was just extended in the most recent budget. You're right that th

Industry committee  Can I pass the buck on this one?

Industry committee  I think it was Mr. Geist in that case.

Human Resources committee  Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Mathew Wilson, and I'm with the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters. The CME is Canada's largest trade and industry association. We represent about 10,000 member companies from across Canada, and we're the chair of the Canadian Manufactur

Human Resources committee  Sure thing. In short, Canada must focus its efforts on simplifying and removing the unnecessary paper and other burdens in the current processes. This is not about reducing competencies or sacrificing skill sets or safety requirements; it is about improving the way that evaluati

Human Resources committee  Our members are in most cases the employers of the trades. They represent all sizes of manufacturers and exporters throughout the country, from mom-and-pop shops to multinationals, in almost every sector: automotive, agriculture, aerospace, and natural resources.

Human Resources committee  That's a good question. I can't explain why it happens. I can only explain that it does happen and confirm what you're hearing as well. We hear it regularly from our members right across the country, especially when there are short time-windows and gaps created because of excess

Human Resources committee  I guess I'd say a couple of things. One is the labour mobility within Canada has to change. We have to be able to bring skilled workers across Canada from different parts of Canada to where the labour shortages exist. But that is only going to go so far. Look again just at Albe

Human Resources committee  Maybe it would just be to look at the existing programs and things like the Service Canada recognition, under getting a work visa for a foreign worker in the four- to six-month timeframe. As for the request by Service Canada for a full HR plan, future product plans, and all the r

Human Resources committee  I think programs like E-MAP, the engineering matching and training program that we're running in B.C., is a really good place to start looking. It's been very successful from an engineering perspective. It's filled, I think, in the range of 10,000 engineering positions in B.C. ov

Human Resources committee  I agree with everything you said. The work experience is a real problem. A lot of times companies are restricted from hiring those individuals to get the work experience because they can't get the certification. It all loops around, unfortunately. That's why I said in my remarks