Carleigh O'Brien

Discussing encouraging the federal government to work with the provinces to break down interprovincial trade barriers as they relate to labour and credentials Discussing promotion of trades to youth, including marketing programs, advertisements, trade shows, working in collaboration with schools and the provinces. Discussing labour mobility policy in Canada, ensuring workers have the correct certification to work throughout the country. Discussing enhancing credentialing to enable faster and more streamlined certification for new Canadian workers. Discussed program structure and policy direction of the upcoming workforce alliances and the sectorial workforce innovation fund initiatives Advocated for opportunities within Canada's manufacturing sector to support future infrastructure initiatives in housing and/or public works projects. Discussing issues within Quebec's manufacturing sector, including Temporary Foreign Workers. Advocating for improvements to Canada's trade-enabling transportation infrastructure. Advocating for specific implementation measures related to recent policies or measures outlined in the latest budget process. Advocating for Health Canada-related policies that impact manufacturing. Advocate for support for Canada's steel industry Matters related to advancing female workforce in the manufacturing industry. Matters related to the renewal of CUSMA. Matters related to military and defence procurement Discuss the upcoming priorities of the RNNR Committee and its impact on the industry Advocate for policies to enhance Canadian manufacturing productivity Plastic issues as they are related to waste, pollution, health, single-use plastics, sources of plastic waste, government-industry cooperation in reducing plastic pollution, strengthening sustainable economies, protecting the environment, plastic registry, PFAS, etc Matters related to the impacts of rules limiting the intake of temporary foreign workers on manufacturing business. Matters related to upcoming RNNR Committee priorities on energy, forest, minerals and metals, and earth sciences sectors, and the impacts on the industry. Advocating for extension of existing IRCC pilot programs Matters related to trade with USA as they related to trade policies, tariffs, trade agreements, regulatory reform, retaliatory measures, tariff policy, remissions/relief policies considered by the federal government, provincial impact of implementing tariffs, etc. Matters related to the expected impact of US tariffs on manufacturing sectors and discuss funding opportunities for BuyCanada and BuyOntario Campaigns. Matters related to EI, worksharing program Critical minerals issues as they are related to barriers to extraction and processing, environmental impacts, social impacts, technological challenges, limited energy options, etc. Advocate for assistance to manage the frequent disruption of critical transportation infrastructure due to trade conflict and better financial support for trade corridors and a flexible regulatory approach for trucking regulations, renewal of iZEV program, removal of the luxury tax which impacts aircraft manufacturing Advocate for supply chain issues as they related to transportation and logistics, labour shortages/strikes, rising fuel and energy costs, regulatory changes such as ESG compliance laws, broken supply chains due to transportation barriers/strikes and long wait times for materials, etc. Advocated for broad supports to Canada's manufacturing sector to cope with U.S. trade developments. This includes relief for technology investment, on-the-job training, excise duty, broad red tape reduction, using both grants (e.g. SIF) and taxation (e.g. capital gains, corporate tax, excise duty). Advocate for Labour and skills shortages, support for workforce development training and education Advocate for the simplification, modernization and harmonization of the Canada's border regulations, including Beyond the Border. Advocate for reform to the Tempo

NATIONAL ZERO-EMISSIONS VEHICLE STRATEGY: Communicating with government officials about the National Zero-Emissions Vehicle Strategy, more specifically (i) providing expert industry input on the strategy, (ii) participating in various advisory groups and (iii) participating in the government review and any future activities related to this topic. These communications will involve discussions about design, infrastructure, incentives, supply, and public awareness. NEW MARKET ENTRANTS: Communicating with government officials about new market entrants into Canada, including ensuring there is a level playing field with automakers regarding the sale and assembly of vehicles in Canada. INTERNATIONAL TRADE: Communicating with government officials about international trade, trade issues and support measures related to the automotive industry and automotive manufacturing, including potential tariffs on automobiles, automotive parts and batteries. GHG REGULATIONS: Communicating with government officials about greenhouse gas regulations and any related consultations with respect to the current or future Canadian standards. COMPETITIVENESS AND ECONOMIC & TRADE UNCERTAINTY: Communicating with government officials about potential support, policies and programs, including but not limited to the Auto Strategy and its pillars, Employment Insurance (EI), preventing labour disruptions (and to re-train employees) and maintain manufacturing competitiveness given the current economic and trade uncertainty. STRATEGIC RESPONSE FUND (SRF) AND STRATEGIC INNOVATION FUND ("SIF"): Communicating with government officials about funding under the Strategic Innovation Fund and the newly created Strategic Response Fund, to ensure and maintain the competitiveness of automobile manufacturing in Canada. REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT - Communicating with government officials about regional economic development programs and funding, including those offered by the Federal Economic Development Agency. BANK ACT: Communicating with the Government of Canada about the statutory review of the Bank Act, SC 1991, c. 46, more specifically about vehicle leasing. VEHICLE THEFT: Communicating with government officials about vehicle thefts across Canada, including measures to limit vehicle theft. The goal of these communications is, in part, to ensure cross-departmental coordination in addressing the issue. TRAVEL DOCUMENTS: Communicating with government officials about the processing of travel documents, more specifically visas. MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY ACT: Communicating with government officials about the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, more specifically (i) alignment with American safety standards, (ii) flexibility on regulations for vehicles, (iii) target setting for greenhouse gas emissions and (iv) improved recall completion rates. MEASURES AGAINST FORCED AND CHILD LABOUR: Communicating with government officials about measures to eliminate forced and child labour, more specifically (i) monitoring legislative and regulatory developments to increase supply chain transparency and (ii) ensuring industry has enough time to comply with future supply chain transparency obligations. LUXURY TAX: Communicating with government officials about luxury taxes, more specifically (i) ensuring luxury taxes are removed from electric vehicles ("EVs"), (ii) ensuring luxury taxes are removed (or reduced) on recreational boats and (iii) ensuring luxury taxes do not conflict with other government measures, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. INVESTMENT TAX INCENTIVES: Communicating with government officials about investment tax incentives under the Income Tax Act, including the Investment Tax Credit ("ITC"). INTERNATIONAL STUDENT WORK: Communicating with government officials about international students, more specifically eligibility for off-campus work during studies at a designated learning institutions (“DLIs”). ELECTRIC VEHICHLE ("EV") INFRASTRUCTURE: Communicating with government officia

Federal AI Adoption capability for ISED as a federal department Joint health data proposal together with research hospitals Pan-Canadian AI Compute Environment (PAICE) program progress and AI compute Bill C-27: Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) consultation