Manufacturing also makes a very significant indirect contribution to the Canadian economy. It creates demand for goods and services from all other business sectors – from primary resources and energy production, to transportation, financial, and communication services, to legal, health and accounting professionals, to business management, design, engineering, and high technology support.

The indirect economic contribution made by manufacturing has grown over time as more products and services originally produced by manufacturers are being outsourced to other business sectors. Every dollar of manufactured output generates an average $3.05 in total economic activity in Canada. The economic spin-offs are even higher in Ontario, Alberta, Saskatchewan, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island.

Canadian manufacturing has been a high growth business in Canada. Driven by success in export markets, manufacturing growth has outpaced the Canadian economy as a whole since 1992. The volume of manufacturing production in Canada has grown by almost 65%, while the value of manufacturing shipments has more than doubled, over the past 15 years. Manufacturing sales exceeded $610 billion in 2004.