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Southwestern Ontario

Staying focused on priorities 

Dear Manufacturers, Partners, and Friends,
This has been a challenging year for manufacturers with the pressure and ongoing uncertainty that we continue to face. As 2025 opened, we advanced our programming by pivoting to include a focus on trades and tariffs with the introduction of the public Member Needs Help platform, giving thousands of Canadian manufacturers streamlined access to critical data, trends, and compliance resources. EMC also convened leading voices from Global Affairs, EDC and BDC, international trade lawyers, customs brokers, and industry specialists through online and in-person events designed to equip manufacturers with access to expertise.

Happy Holidays!

Every day, EMC supports manufacturers in accessing greater opportunities and navigating the increasing complexities of running modern operations. Across diverse sub-sectors, from metal fabrication and food processing to clean tech, plastics, energy, and advanced manufacturing, our members continue to push boundaries, strengthen supply chains, and build a more sustainable and prosperous future.
In 2025, EMC stayed focused on the following Top Ten priorities that matter most to the sector &#8211; and we’re carrying that focus forward as this work expands in 2026:
<ul>
<li>Expressing Leadership and Executing</li>
<li>Building Resilient, Competitive, Productive and Visible Supply Chains</li>
<li>Advancing Domestic and International Trade</li>
<li>Facilitating “Make it Here” Business Opportunities</li>
<li>Addressing Systemic Labour Shortages</li>
<li>Closing the Skills Gap – Upskilling and Reskilling</li>
<li>Accelerating Technology Adoption and AI</li>
<li>Driving Energy Efficiency and Sustainability Goals</li>
<li>Making Workplaces Healthier and Safer</li>
<li>Investing in Partnership Development</li>
</ul>
These priorities represent our collective approach that guides our work, informs our programs, and reflects our commitment to helping Canadian manufacturers thrive.
What began as a small group of 18 manufacturers in the Owen Sound, ON area has grown into a powerful national network supporting more than 18,000 manufacturing companies and over 700,000 of their employees. This year, like so many before it, demonstrated the strength of that network and the collective impact we are capable of when we work toward shared goals.
Thank you for your trust, your collaboration, and your unwavering dedication to building a vibrant, resilient manufacturing ecosystem in Canada.
Happy Holidays!
Jean-Pierre (JP) Giroux 
President, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium

Recently, manufacturers, chamber leaders, educators, and economic development partners gathered during an Alberta-Manitoba interprovincial trade mission supported through EMC’s national network. The goal was simple: build relationships and create opportunities so Canadian firms can buy from &#8211; and sell to &#8211; each other more easily. But the conversations that unfolded made something else clear: Canada’s manufacturing competitiveness is increasingly shaped by tariffs, currency swings, workforce shortages, procurement uncertainty, the basic challenge of finding reliable suppliers at home, and more.

Interprovincial Collaboration Is Strengthening Canadian Manufacturing

If you want a quick snapshot of why interprovincial trade matters, don’t start with policy. Start with a shop floor.
What emerged from the mission and the panel discussion was a practical, industry-led argument for interprovincial trade: a stronger domestic supply chain is Canada’s fastest path to resilience and growth.
<h2 data-start="1832" data-end="1892">The supply chain: start close, scale outward</h2>
Manufacturing supply chains aren&#8217;t robust because someone writes a strategy document. They become robust because companies can quickly answer three questions:
<ol>
<li data-start="2063" data-end="2085">Who can do the work?</li>
<li data-start="2089" data-end="2132">Can I trust their capability and quality?</li>
<li data-start="2136" data-end="2188">Can we move goods, people, and projects efficiently?</li>
</ol>
The most useful framework shared was explicitly and implicitly that a concentric approach to supply chain development was needed:
<ul>
<li data-start="2308" data-end="2433">Regional first: build density close to home (local suppliers, service providers, training partners, repair capability).</li>
<li data-start="2436" data-end="2563">Provincial next: connect capacity across Alberta or Manitoba so firms can scale without immediately leaving the province.</li>
<li data-start="2566" data-end="2702">Interprovincial corridors: create reliable pathways between provinces, especially for components, specialized services, and talent.</li>
<li data-start="2705" data-end="2853">National clusters: once corridors work, national ecosystems become real (transportation, aerospace, defence, ag-manufacturing, energy services).</li>
</ul>
That inside-out model matters because it mirrors how manufacturers actually de-risk decisions. Before a company sources globally, it tries to solve problems nearby if it can find the right partner and the rules make it possible.
<h2 data-start="3095" data-end="3151">Tariffs didn’t just raise prices &#8211; they forced redesign</h2>
One manufacturer described how fast trade policy turns into shop-floor decisions. With roughly 90% of sales historically in the U.S., they’ve been working to keep more value-added work in Canada, helped by the cost stability of sourcing locally when currency shifts.
When tariffs changed in November, the company adjusted quickly: reorganizing where certain mounting work happens, rerouting product through Minneapolis, and redeploying five or six employees into other roles to keep production rising and customers served.
A mid-sized machining firm echoed the same theme: tariff rules can be inconsistent, even on specialized materials that can only be sourced from the U.S. But the response from industry is practical, not political. Manufacturers adapt fast, redesign workflows, and keep goods moving.
<h2 data-start="3964" data-end="4032">“Buy Canadian” meets a hard limit: capability gaps and visibility</h2>
Nearly every participant expressed some version of the same constraint: we want to localize where we can, but sometimes the supplier simply doesn’t exist in Canada, or isn’t discoverable.
Even when suppliers exist, distribution models can work against domestic sourcing. One manufacturer explained that Canadian distributors don’t always stock what their operations need, forcing them back to U.S. sources or offshore options. In practice, “domestic-first” isn’t a moral stance, it’s often a capability and inventory issue.
For small and medium-sized firms, the biggest barrier is often time. Every hour spent researching interprovincial compliance, standards, and new sector requirements is an hour taken away from running the business. Without better visibility and a clearer path forward, SMEs can get stuck: they know diversification is necessary, but the starting point is unclear and the overhead feels heavy.
That’s why the most important barrier isn’t always a regulation. Sometimes it’s discoverability: not being able to quickly find who can do what, where, and with what certifications.
<h2 data-start="5136" data-end="5188">Removing barriers is necessary—but not sufficient</h2>
There was an important reality check shared from the chamber perspective: you can dismantle barriers and harmonize rules, but if companies don’t have relationships, or can’t find each other, commerce still won’t happen.
This is where the discussion turned toward infrastructure for connection, not just policy. Through EMC’s national network, trade missions are increasingly designed to do more than introduce firms, they are intended to create continuity between in-person engagement and ongoing B2B collaboration.
That’s where EMC&#8217;s new Supplyflow tool entered the conversation with real momentum.
The premise is straightforward: create an open, searchable capability system where businesses can publish what they do, what they need, and what certifications they hold, all supported by trusted partners such as chambers, industry associations, and networks that help validate profiles.
With roughly business profiles already active and thousands more expected over the coming months, the goal is national discoverability. If a manufacturer can’t find the right supplier locally, they can look across provincial borders quickly, and with more confidence.
This isn’t just a technology platform. It’s interprovincial trade infrastructure: visibility and trust, at scale.
<h2 data-start="6437" data-end="6506">Plant tours and missions aren’t networking &#8211; they’re due diligence</h2>
One of the strongest messages across the mission was also the simplest: bring people into facilities.
Plant tours do what websites and procurement portals can’t. They show reality, capacity constraints, quality systems, shop discipline, and operational fit. When paired with structured matchmaking, trade missions compress time. They accelerate the trust curve and move companies from “we should talk” to “we could build together.”
<h2 data-start="7077" data-end="7129">Workforce: the constraint that touches everything</h2>
No matter where the conversation started, tariffs, supply chain, procurement, interprovincial trade, it kept returning to one issue: workforce.
Companies cited specific shortages: welders, painters, electrical and 12-volt technicians, skilled machinists. Larger manufacturers reinforced the same concern, noting that scaling Canadian production depends on predictable hiring pipelines, not cycles of ramp-up and layoffs driven by sporadic procurement.
The discussion quickly moved beyond headcount into strategy: earlier work-integrated learning, better access to applied research, and digital literacy as a baseline skill as compliance requirements increase.
A post-secondary leader summed it up with a phrase that stuck: parity of esteem. Trades and technical careers must be valued with the same urgency as other pathways because the economy depends on them.
<h2 data-start="8003" data-end="8038">Treat talent like a supply chain</h2>
One of the most compelling ideas came from Alberta’s approach to talent pipeline management &#8211; treating workforce like a supply chain that can be designed, measured, and improved.
The model starts with industry demand and aligns training capacity accordingly. And just as supply chains cross provincial borders, talent must be able to move with them.
<h2 data-start="8395" data-end="8457">Predictable demand and standardized rules unlock investment</h2>
For larger manufacturers, the message was pragmatic: Canadian manufacturing footprint expands when demand is predictable.
Publicly funded procurement cycles and domestic-content rules matter enormously. Two needs stood out:
<ol>
<li data-start="8688" data-end="8721">Stable, predictable procurement</li>
<li data-start="8725" data-end="8790">Consistent definitions of Canadian content across jurisdictions</li>
</ol>
Without alignment, even well-intentioned policies can fragment domestic supply chains.
<h2 data-start="8885" data-end="8947">A shared conclusion: cautious optimism—if we build together</h2>
The closing tone was neither gloomy nor naïve. Manufacturers expressed confidence in new product lines and market opportunities while acknowledging that tariffs, compliance demands, and technology transitions will create challenges.
For SMEs, the message was clear: standing still is no longer an option. Growth now requires diversification across sectors, across provinces, and across partnerships.
That brings us back to interprovincial trade.
It matters because it’s the most practical pathway to a unified Canadian manufacturing economy. Not through slogans, but through the everyday mechanics of making things: finding suppliers, moving goods, training people, and building trust.
Trade starts at home. The question now is whether we build the infrastructure policy, platforms, and partnerships to make buying Canadian not just desirable, but easier to do.

This festive reflection celebrates the strides made through EMC’s Energy and Green Manufacturing Consortium and the GreenMFG Network, showcasing the incredible impacts on energy costs and emissions reductions across Canada’s manufacturing sector.

A GreenMFG Christmas

<h3>A GreenMFG Christmas</h3>
(Inspired by “’Twas the Night Before Christmas”)
<blockquote>‘Twas the season of savings, across the whole sector, 
Manufacturers stirring, seeking a true cost-protector. 
The plans were all crafted with strategy and care, 
To cut energy costs and emissions, a breath of fresh air.
The factories were nestled, snug in utilization, 
While visions of savings danced with energy mitigation. 
With EMC’s guidance and data in hand, 
They tackled their goals, all sustainably planned.
When out in the market there arose such a clatter, 
The industry sprang to see what was the matter. 
Away to their dashboards, they flew like a flash, 
Tracking their metrics: green, energy, and cash.
With the moon on the turbines, so gentle and bright, 
Gave proof that green power could shine through the night. 
When what to their wondering eyes should appear, 
But results of our program, from this past year.
With a visionary program, so lively and keen, 
It was EMC’s consortium, our energy team! 
More rapid than eagles, their support it came, 
And they whistled, and shouted, and called firms by name:
&#8220;Now Plastics! Now Food Goods! Now, Textiles and Metal! 
On, Woodworks! On, Chemicals! On, those hard to settle! 
To the peak of efficiency! Improvements install! 
Now dash away! Dash away! Dash away all!&#8221;
Like sparks on the wind when the storm rushes near, 
They rose to the challenge with courage and cheer. 
So up to their targets, manufacturers then flew, 
With solutions in tow, and EMC too.
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the line, 
The sharing of stories, success so divine. 
As I joined the Green Network and leaned in to hear, 
The impacts they’d made brought a loud, festive cheer.
The savings were massive, the emissions cut deep, 
Sustainable actions sowed futures to reap. 
Lighting upgrades, new boilers, and clean energy fleets, 
Their efforts brought forth truly remarkable feats.
Their hard work this year has set the tone, 
For a prosperous sector in the green zone. 
Together we’ve proven that change is worthwhile, 
As each innovation brought savings—and with a big smile.
And as the year closes, with hearts full of cheer, 
We look to the future, a greener new year. 
So here’s to our members, your efforts and might, 
“Merry Christmas to all, and to all a green night!”</blockquote>
This year alone, our energy and green teams helped EMC members drive over $10.5 million in savings out of the energy supply chain ($140 million since launch in 2008), along with identifying many thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions reductions.
Together, we’ve made 2025 a year to remember, and 2026 promises even more progress!

Quebec

As we close out another remarkable year, EMC is proud to reflect on the momentum we’ve built together across Canada’s manufacturing community. From coast to coast, our Manufacturing Excellence Forums brought industry leaders, innovators, and frontline teams together to learn, share, and strengthen the sector.

Celebrating a Year of Connection, Collaboration, and Manufacturing Excellence

In 2025, we hosted Forums in PEI, Nova Scotia, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Abbotsford, Kelowna, Oshawa, the GTA, London, Owen Sound, Kingston, and more &#8211; connecting hundreds of manufacturers representing a wide range of sectors, skill sets, and company sizes. Each forum created space for meaningful conversations around the challenges and opportunities shaping the future of manufacturing.
Throughout the year, we explored the most relevant and pressing topics for industry today. We dug into green manufacturing, highlighting practical pathways toward low-carbon operations, energy efficiency, and ESG-readiness. We examined tariffs and trade issues, giving manufacturers clarity on shifting global policies and their impact on competitiveness. Discussions on supply chain enhancements helped members plan for strengthening resilience, rethinking logistics, and adopting smarter planning tools. And our deep dives into workforce development addressed recruitment, skills gaps, leadership training, and the evolving needs of modern operations.
A highlight across many of our stops was the opportunity to tour manufacturing facilities, giving participants an inside glimpse into how companies are adapting, innovating, and managing the complexities of today’s world. These tours offered sparked some of the most valuable peer-to-peer learning moments of the year.
Along the way, we celebrated success stories, exchanged practical solutions, and amplified the incredible work happening on shop floors nationwide. New partnerships were formed, peer networks expanded, and participants left with actionable insights they could implement right away.
Most importantly, these events reaffirmed the strength of Canada’s manufacturing community as forward-thinking, resilient, and committed to continuous improvement.
Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, hosted, sponsored or shared your experiences with us. Together, we’re shaping a stronger future for Canadian manufacturing.
Here’s to another year of learning, connection, and shared excellence.

Golden Horseshoe

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