CME Program Helps Consumers Support Local Business and Manufacturing Jobs. A wide range of Ontario manufacturers, retailers, and businesses have stepped forward to proudly promote made-in-Ontario products through the Ontario Made program. Since launching in July, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME)’s SupportOntarioMade.ca website has registered over 4,600 products from over 1,200 local manufacturers. Business leaders believe this initiative will benefit both manufacturers and consumers during the pandemic and post-pandemic recovery.

Ontario’s manufacturing sector is the economic engine of Canada, directly accounting for over 12 per cent of the province’s economy, with nearly $300 billion in annual shipments and $200 billion in exports. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturers across the province stepped up to innovate by ramping up or shifting their production lines to produce more food, personal protective equipment, and other essential supplies. In September alone, an increase of 51,700 jobs pushed Ontario’s manufacturing employment 17,000 jobs above pre-COVID levels.

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