Grant, Contribution or Other Financial Benefit

• Seeking funding to support an increased number of female workers in the manufacturing sector in Canada. Source of funding is to be determined.

Legislative Proposal, Bill or Resolution

• Canadian Environmental Protection Act (CEPA) during the review of CEPA with respect to the protection of the environment and human health to contribute to sustainable development.
• Clean Fuel Standard development - to ensure that issues and concerns related to manufacturers in Canada are understood and factored into the development of a Federal Clean Fuels Standard.
• Federal budget with respect to federal taxation systems, advocate to assist business to be competitive by allowing for access to liquidity, improvement to tax treatment of investments in productive technologies, innovation, skills development and research development. This includes: a legislative review of SR&ED program, adopting a reciprocity policy for infrastructure projects, create national clusters of advanced manufacturing for automation, industrial robotics and additive manufacturing, fix withholding requirements for international workers, clarify treatment of government grants and risk-sharing contributions under the Income Tax Act, adopt the patent box tax regime in Canada to help commercialization of Canadian Innovation.
• Legislative review of Export Development Canada (EDC) Act, to ensure proper resources are given to EDC for the continuation of EDC's role of assisting Canadian businesses succeed in global markets.

Policies or Program

• Advocate against the use of plain packaging policies for products such as tobacco.
• Advocate for a national regulatory simplification and reform initiative including the full implementation of the Regulatory Cooperation Council.
• Advocate for a national manufacturing and exporting strategy that includes innovation and investment supports, skills development and effective trade policies.
• Advocate for a simplified and harmonized Chemicals Management Plan with respect to implementation.
• Advocate for an increase in the investment supports and funding available to manufacturers.
• Advocate for comprehensive harmonized policy and investment strategies that support Canadian manufacturers' ability to access and develop the efficient and effective labour force they require to sustain and grow business in respect to literacy and essential skills, manufacturing related occupational standards, technical innovation and entrepreneurship, labour, immigration and Foreign Workers.
• Advocate for reform to the Temporary Foreign Workers Program to make it easier for manufacturers and exporters, especially small and medium sized businesses, to access the program by reducing associated regulatory and paper burden.
• Advocate for the finalization and implementation of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
• Advocate for the government of Canada to negotiate a Sub-national procurement agreement to open markets between Canada and the United States.
• Advocate for the government of Canada to negotiate various details of the Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement (CETA)
• Advocate for the implementation of trade remedy modernization.
• Advocate for the increase in Canada's di minimus values to align to global norms.
• Advocate for the support of Work Integrated Learning programs, and other similar programs/initiatives that address the skills gap and provide pathways between education and employment.
• Climate change and clean air, promote the coordination of federal and provincial policies and legislation, participate in the development of policies in the areas of mitigation, carbon pricing, adaptation and innovation and technological progress.
• Domestic Substances List, categorization process with respect to development of the priority lists.
• Encouraging the Government of Canada to consider the economic, public health and national security implications of the Integrity Framework and proposing amendments to the existing policy that would allow the government to balance its intent to enforce more stringent procurement practices with broader industry concerns relating to the need for greater certainty, due process and remediation.
• Intellectual Property Rights, advocate for amendments to the Customs Tariff to ensure that intellectual property rights can be enforced by border officials.
• Promotion for the creation and funding of innovation clusters by the federal government
• Re-negotiation of details of the North American Free Trade Agreement with respect to current business environment of manufacturing sector, trade barriers, modernization and expansion of the agreement.
• Review of Federal government services geared toward the expansion of Canadian exports and exporters generally including review of the Trade Commissioner Services, Export Development Canada and Canadian Commercial Corporation, including the alignment of services, streamlining access and sharing of best practices.
• The adoption in Canada of a patent box model to provide a tax incentive for commercialization of new products in Canada

Policies or Program, Regulation

• Advocate for the simplification, modernization and harmonization of the Canada's border regulations, including Beyond the Border.

Regulation

• Advocate for amending Regulation 105 of the Income Tax Act so that taxes are not witheld for workers providing business services to Canada.