Manufacturing Industry

The Manufacturing Industry: A Diversified Sector

Canada’s manufacturing sector comprises hundreds of specialized branches, ranging from frozen food production to automotive components. Together, they form a major economic engine. For example, here are the annual revenues of some of these subsectors:

  1. Automotive parts manufacturing: $7.9B
  2. Aluminum manufacturing: $16.5B
  3. Iron and steel manufacturing: $16B
  4. Frozen food production: $8.5B
  5. Plastic film, sheet, and bag manufacturing: $7.3B
  6. Machinery manufacturing for mining, oil, and gas: $4.7B

At the heart of this vast sector lies meat processing—beef and poultry—one of the largest and most structurally important branches for the national agri-food supply chain. This report is dedicated to that industry, while emphasizing that it exists within an immensely diversified manufacturing ecosystem.

Key Figures for the Meat Processing Sector

Three indicators summarize the current scale and momentum of the subsector:

Annual Revenue (2025)

$48B

Total value of sales made in Canada.

Average Profit Margin

10,9 %

Net profitability achieved despite rising input costs.

CAGR

3.2%

Average Expansion Over the Past 5 Years

Outlook and Strategic Challenges

In the short term, the sector’s growth is expected to slow due to:

  • Fluctuating feed prices,
  • Health pressures (avian flu, BSE), and
  • Increasing competition from plant-based proteins.

Top-performing companies are:

  • Securing supply chains,
  • Investing in automation, and
  • Enhancing traceability to meet growing expectations around sustainability.

Over the longer term, access to export markets—particularly through recent trade agreements—and the ability to innovate in high-value product lines will determine market share among players.

Three indicators summarize the current scale and momentum of the subsector:

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