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Daniel Cloutier, Unifor’s Quebec director, appealed for a strong industrial strategy during his appearance before the Senate Canada-US Briefing Panel and Roundtable Meeting on February 10, 2025.
His message to parliamentarians was clear: it is imperative to defend Canadian jobs, while initiating a genuine industrial transformation to ensure the long-term prosperity of our communities.
Major challenges for Canada's manufacturing sector
At the heart of Cloutier's speech was the importance of protecting workers in strategic sectors such as aerospace, automotive, aluminum and forestry. In particular, he pointed out that certain industries could be severely hurt even a temporary shutdown, resulting in a permanent loss of expertise and know-how.
He also spoke of the erosion of our manufacturing base, a phenomenon already underway before the tariff crisis. The G7's smallest manufacturing industry is becoming even more fragile, while other countries are consolidating theirs. This situation is exacerbated by the lack of industrial ambition in Canada, which too often remains a supplier of raw materials rather than focusing on processing and value-added.
Concrete solutions
To counter the U.S. administration's tariff intimidation, Cloutier recommended targeted and strategic retaliation, designed to strike where the political impact is greatest. However, he insists on the importance of assistance and income support mechanisms for the most vulnerable sectors, to protect workers during this period of uncertainty.
Other proposals include:
- Targeted support measures for businesses: Loan guarantees at preferential rates and temporary wage subsidies to maintain jobs.
- National transformation program: Increase Canadian capacity to develop higher value-added products, rather than simply exporting raw resources.
- Sectoral industrial development strategies: Further support pillars of the economy such as aerospace, automotive and lumber.
- Reciprocity in procurement policies: the U.S. greatly restricts access to government supply contracts, while Canada’s are open to bidders around the world. Canada must treat U.S. suppliers no different than how it treats Canadian suppliers, use its public purchasing to stimulate the domestic economy and create quality jobs at home.
- Market diversification: Support Canadian exporters in finding new markets for goods, expand their domestic customer base, reduce dependence on the U.S. and strengthen economic resilience.
A call for long-term vision
Finally, Cloutier urged the Senate to take a long-term, non-partisan approach to stimulating the emergence of national industrial champions and strengthening our economic sovereignty. For Unifor, it's about ensuring that Canada remains a place where good jobs are created for generations to come, and where workers are well supported in the face of tomorrow's business and technological challenges.
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