Good morning mesdames et messieurs.
Thank you, Joe, for that kind introduction. C'est un grand plaisir d'etre ici avec vous aujourd'hui.
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the new Collider Centre for Technology Commercialization, or more simply, the Collider. Thank you to John Capone and Western University for hosting us today.
What an exciting day for all of you - for Western, for London and for the manufacturing sector.
I'd like to start by saying a few words about the manufacturing sector—which we know is a strong force behind Canada's economy—before I talk about this impressive centre.
The importance of this industry is pretty clear when you look at the numbers. Here, in Ontario, more than 30,000 manufacturing establishments generated $270 billion in sales last year.
But, we know that the manufacturing sector has faced some challenges which is why today's event is so important. We do need to find ways to foster growth and find new opportunities for manufacturers. And that is exactly what you aim to do.
Like most industries, manufacturing is impacted by technological change, particularly disruptive technologies, new consumer needs demands for lighter, stronger materials and prototyping in shorter periods of time.
The Government of Canada, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is very aware of these ever evolving impacts and therefore have made it a priority to help manufacturers to meet these challenges and to take advantage of the new opportunities that arise.
And that is why we're here today.
For southern Ontario to succeed, we need our businesses to be able to innovate more than ever; to invest in R&D and productivity-enhancing machinery and equipment; to build collaborative partnerships; and to gain access to international markets.
And that is the objective for this centre, to bring together partners, resources and ideas with the goal of helping to commercialize new products and processes and get them to market more quickly. This will complement the work that is already being done at the Fraunhofer Project Centre @ Western, or FPC.
And so, it gives me great pleasure to be here for the official opening of the Collider.
In 2012, our Government announced a $13.7-million investment toward total project costs of $37 million to help establish the FPC and this impressive facility that we are opening today.
The development of the two centres was a partnership between the city, the province, the university and the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology, a German-based institute which is part of the largest applied scientific research organization in Europe. The institute is a world leader in the development and testing of advanced composite materials. This partnership allows access to its vast expertise and many customers.
As I mentioned, the FPC is already providing a real-world manufacturing environment, complete with access to a full-scale press and manufacturing capabilities. These tools allow companies that are developing composite materials to create production-scale processes and parts for testing. The FPC here in London is the only one of its kind in North America and FPC has partnered with 21 companies so far, including two U.S. entities and 19 Canadian entities. These businesses include small- and medium-sized enterprises and subsidiaries of large multinational enterprises with headquarters located in countries around the world.
The Collider, where we stand today, is now ready to provide manufacturers with industrial space, business services, access to contract research, and material and product characterization and testing.
These tools will help businesses to accelerate the development and commercialization of these products, especially in key sectors such as automotive, aerospace, defence and construction.
And we expect that this area will become a hub for companies involved in manufacturing lightweight and advanced materials, positioning the region as the place to go for R&D in composites and lightweight materials.
In addition, it is anticipated that these centres will create 20 high-quality research and technical jobs. This is great news!
But most importantly, the facilities will collaborate with up to 80 businesses a year and will be home to world-class researchers from Western University and the Fraunhofer Institute. Manufacturers and businesses can gain knowledge and expertise from these researchers, which will result in accelerated commercialization and global opportunities. This will lead to new investments and more high-quality jobs in southern Ontario.
Ladies and gentlemen, I can tell you that jobs, economic growth and prosperity are the priorities of our government. And while each level of government has a role to play in creating and maintaining an environment for this to occur, for our part we are setting the right macroeconomic conditions for success. We have lowered corporate tax rates. Most recently, in the Focus on Tax report, KPMG concluded that Canada's taxes are the most business-friendly in the world. We've eliminated unnecessary regulatory burdens and we continue to work in this area. We've made Canada the first completely tariff-free zone for manufacturers in the G-20. We have a strong job growth record compared to other countries, with employment in Canada increasing by more than 1.1 million since 2006. We have ensured fair and transparent government procurement and provided important and timely job training. We have also opened the door to new markets with millions of new customers. In less than seven years, Canada has concluded free trade agreements with nine countries and is negotiating with 30 more.
In fact, last year Canada leapt from sixth place to second place in Bloomberg's ranking of the most attractive destinations in the world for business.
We're also on track to balance the budget this year.
Ladies and gentlemen, Canada is now in a position where the landscape for business growth in Canada has never been as fertile.
As I said before, manufacturing is a real driver of prosperity and opportunities, in southern Ontario and across the country.
This is why some of FedDev Ontario's new programming is targeted at further supporting the manufacturing sector.
We have launched the Advanced Manufacturing Fund—or AMF as we call it. The Fund supports product, process and technological innovation, as well as the development of manufacturing clusters or supply chains.
AMF supports large-scale, transformative projects that are innovative, market relevant and generate economic spillover benefits.
As well, it supports collaboration between the private sector, research institutions and post-secondary institutions. As we can see from today's milestone, those are the relationships that bring real benefits.
Through this Fund, a total of $200 million is available over the next five years across Ontario.
In addition, FedDev Ontario is delivering four Southern Ontario Prosperity Initiatives. They represent more than half a billion dollars in available funding that can support projects by organizations in various sectors, including manufacturing.
FedDev Ontario's investment in this project is supporting the manufacturing industry—an important contributor to southern Ontario's economic growth. Today's grand opening is a great example of how our Government is backing our advanced manufacturers to bring new opportunities to the London area, and establish it as a hub for this sector.
I would like congratulate Western University, the Fraunhofer Institute, and the City of London once again on this exciting opening. I look forward to seeing the ongoing real benefits FPC and the Collider.
Thank you. Merci!
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News Release: New Facility Ready to Support London's Advanced Manufacturers
