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The Road Ahead for Canada's Auto Industry

Join the Ottawa Economics Association for a presentation by Brian Kingston, President & CEO of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association and Rebekah Young, Director, Fiscal and Provincial Economics, at Scotiabank, on COVID-19's economic impact on the auto industry and what the future holds for auto manufacturing in Canada.

Auto manufacturing added $16 billion to the economy last year, making it the largest part of our manufacturing sector. Vehicle and parts manufacturing directly employs 135,000 Canadians with another 405,000 employed in aftermarket services and dealerships. Vehicles are Canada’s number one manufactured export and second export overall after crude oil.

COVID-19 has devastated the Canadian economy with serious implications for the auto industry.  Sales are expected to end the year down 17% from 2019, a larger decline than what was witnessed during the financial crisis.

Further complicating the outlook for the auto industry are ongoing competitiveness challenges and structural changes to the global auto industry. At the same time, the auto industry is going through an unprecedented technological transformation creating new opportunities for Canada to play a role in electrification, autonomous driving and connectivity.

The speakers will speak to the challenges and opportunities facing the sector and what it means for the Canadian economy.
 

Brian Kingston is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers’ Association (CVMA). The CVMA represents Canada’s leading manufacturers of light and heavy-duty motor vehicles. Its membership includes FCA Canada, Inc., Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited, and General Motors of Canada Company.

Prior to joining the CVMA, Brian Kingston was Vice President of Policy, Fiscal and International, at the Business Council of Canada where he led the Council’s economic policy priorities and global engagement. From 2009 to 2012 he served in the federal government with positions at the Department of Finance, Global Affairs Canada, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Privy Council Office.

In addition to his accomplishments in business and government, Brian is active in the non-profit sector including as past president of the Ottawa Economics Association and as a current board member of the Banff Forum.

Brian holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Carleton University, a master’s degree in international affairs from the Norman Paterson School of International Affairs and an MBA from Ivey Business School.

Rebekah Young joined Scotiabank in February 2019 as Director, Fiscal & Provincial Economics. Prior to joining Scotiabank, Rebekah worked at the executive board of IMF. She was also a senior official at the federal Department of Finance in Ottawa working on a range of topics, from development economics, to the federal budget, to green finance issues.  Rebekah leads our work on provincial and federal economic and fiscal forecasts, public policy issues, and the global auto sector.  
 
She holds a B.A. in Chemical Engineering from McGill University, an M.Sc. in Environmental Policy from the London School of Economics in London, England, and an MBA from INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France and Singapore.

 

See the slides from Brian Kingston:  The Road Ahead For Canada's Auto Industry

See the slides from Rebekah Young:  Outlook for Canadian Auto