CME calling on Trudeau to reopen borders

Windsor, Ont. — Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is calling on the federal government to present a plan to reopen the Canada-U.S. border gradually.

Dennis Darby, CME President, says the lack of predictability is costing the Canadian economy millions of dollars in revenues and endangers thousands of jobs across the country.

“We’ve heard complaints on and from our members that the rules aren’t consistent,” Darby says. “They’re not sure who can cross and who can’t. Sometimes they take an abundance of caution and don’t send anybody and say ‘maybe we’re just gonna pass on that contract.’”

“So it’s really important we’re at that point now where it’s great to have some leadership.”

CME says the Canadian manufacturing sector represents over 10% of Canada’s total GDP, over 90,000 businesses, and 1.7 million jobs direct jobs.

“Having clear directives will help them to plan and to bounce back from this pandemic,” says Darby. “Manufacturers have the capacity to put the Canadian economy back on track and give Canadians back their jobs”.