OUR COLUMNIST’S ASSOCIATION HAS ADOPTED A NEW TITLE — THE GLOBAL AUTOMAKERS OF CANADA
Earlier this spring, our association announced a name change from the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada, abbreviated as AIAMC, to the Global Automakers of Canada, or GAC. Some of our government stakeholders, and even some of our own members have questioned why we made the change.
Essentially there were three key drivers that led to the rebranding of the association. In 2011, we developed a strategic plan that contemplated a name change to align with our sister association in the U.S., but more importantly to have our name reflect more accurately who our members were and what characteristics our members wanted to embody in the Canadian marketplace.
To frame the members’ contribution to the Canadian marketplace we also developed a tagline for the association — Delivering Choice. Driving the Future.
Both sentences of the tagline have multiple nuances. Providing Canadians with a broader of vehicles to purchase is one aspect of choice, as is the provision of choices with respect to different propulsion technologies from hybrids, to clean diesels, to plug-ins, to fully electric and fuel cell vehicles.
Driving towards the future brings with it the connotation of advanced technologies — not only in powertrain development but also in safety. Additionally, it also brings to mind the idea of setting a course or establishing a direction and this is the goal for the members of the Global Automakers of Canada with respect to public policy as it relates to the automotive industry. In the automotive industry in Canada, the focus of policy makers tends to be on the vehicle manufacturers.
AN IMPORTANT ROLE
Perhaps that’s rightly so, given the seven additional jobs in the broader economy that are attributed to each auto assembly job.
All fifteen automakers make an important employment contribution to Canada, directly and indirectly employing some 77,000 Canadians at head offices, zone offices, manufacturing facilities and parts distribution centres.
Market share for the members has grown considerably as well with members representing about 55 per cent of the total Canadian market for new vehicles compared to the 10 per cent when the association first began. Providing Canadian consumers with innovative, dependable, fuel efficient and aspirational vehicles has been a hallmark of the members for over 30 years.
This year provided appropriate timing for the name change of the association as well, given that by October 2014 all not-for-profit associations must file Articles of Continuance under Canada’s new Not for profit Corporations Act to continue as legal and viable not-for-profit corporations in Canada. This timing provided the association with the opportunity to amend its bylaws, file for the legal continuance and change its name at the same time.
In changing our name, we are now also more recognizably aligned with our counterpart in the United States — the Association of Global Automakers. While the membership of our two associations is not entirely the same on both sides of the border, both enjoy a long history of annual technical meetings together alternating between locations in Canada and the U.S.
This is a valuable opportunity for the membership to better understand the key regulatory initiatives being pursued in both countries, given increasing harmonization in respect to both safety and emissions regulations.
Delivering Choice. Driving the Future. Those are the twin goals of the Global Automakers of Canada to help ensure that there is an appropriate political and public policy environment for our members to continue to do just that.
