Ontario Construction News staff writer
Ten members have been appointed to the Premier’s Council on U.S. Trade and Industry Competitiveness, Premier Doug Ford announced last week.
“The creation of this council comes at a critical time for the Ontario economy as certain players in the U.S. bang the drum of protectionism,” Ford said. “At a time when our government is laying the groundwork to unleash the full potential of our economy, we have worked too hard to create a seamless and integrated auto industry that hugely benefits both our countries to see that destroyed by politics. I am proud to start working with these esteemed new members alongside Jerry Dias as we continue to protect an integrated economy that employs millions of workers on both sides of the border.”
Unifor national president Jerry Dias will chair the group and the mandate is to provide advice and recommendations on the government’s ongoing efforts to rally business leaders, elected officials and labour leaders to protect Ontario’s rights under trade agreements and the workers across the province who depend on a secure, prosperous and integrated North American economy.
“We cannot let new legislation in the United States jeopardize decades of cooperation and put workers on both sides of the border at risk,” said Vic Fedeli, minister of economic development, job creation and trade.
“Ontario is the third-largest trading partner to the United States, and a critical partner to more than half the states in the union. The new members of the council, with the full support of our government, will continue to advocate for Ontario against unfair buy American policies by highlighting the cost of protectionism to businesses on both sides of the border and promoting a buy North American approach to our auto and other sectors.”
The following members have been appointed:
- David Adams – President, Global Automakers of Canada
- Catherine Cobden – President and CEO, Canadian Steel Producers Association
- George Gilvesy – Director and Chair, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers
- Maryscott “Scotty” Greenwood – CEO, Canadian American Business Council
- Goldy Hyder – President and CEO, Business Council of Canada
- Brian Kingston – President and CEO, Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association
- Craig McInnes – President, Teamsters Local Union 938 in Ontario and member of the Teamsters Canada Executive Board
- Veso Sobot – Former Director, Corporate Affairs at IPEX Management Inc.
- Flavio Volpe – CEO, Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association
- Michael Willick – President, M. L. Willick & Associates Ltd.
The council will work with partners, including the federal government, to ensure Ontario’s case is heard loud and clear in Washington, D.C. It will also advocate and engage industry partners across the United States, particularly with Great Lakes states where existing supply chains are inextricably integrated with Ontario industries and vulnerable to disruption by protectionist measures currently being debated by the U.S. Congress.
“I look forward to beginning this urgent work with the new Council members who have a proven track record of finding real solutions to complicated problems,” said Unifor National President and Council Chair, Jerry Dias. “We cannot underestimate the seriousness of the challenge and it will require a combination of stakeholders from all sectors of the economy to defend against U.S. isolationist measures that will hurt workers.”
Two-way trade between Ontario and the U.S. totalled CAD $358 billion in 2020, accounting for 53 per cent of the total merchandise trade between Canada and the U.S.
Vehicle assembly and auto parts production directly supports nearly 100,000 Ontario jobs, with hundreds of thousands more spin-off jobs in communities across the province.d
Launched in November 2021, Phase 2 of Driving Prosperity ― The Future of Ontario’s Automotive Sector focuses on transforming the province’s automotive supply chain to build the car of the future.