Automotive News Canada - September 2020 - 18

* S E P T E M B E R 2020

New CVMA head is
inspired by industry's
tech transformation
With an extensive
background in
government, the
36-year-old will
live in Ottawa
instead of Toronto
to make politicians
'fully aware' of the
importance of
the auto sector
By ROBERT BOSTELAAR
O T TAWA C O R R E S P O N D E N T

BRIAN KINGSTON STOOD
sentry outside Rideau Hall one
sweltering Ottawa summer in
the ceremonial bearskin hat
and wool coat of the Governor
General's Foot Guards.
Even as tourists tried to distract him, and as his fellow soldiers sometimes fainted in the
capital's notorious humidity,
Kingston didn't flinch.
Later, as an economist and
vice-president of the Business
Council of Canada, Kingston
faced a different type of grilling, appearing before parliamentary committees at least
two dozen times.
The newly minted president and CEO of the Canadian
Vehicle Manufacturers'
Association (CVMA) is no
stranger to heat. And during a
tumultuous time in the automotive world, Kingston's calm
demeanor and bright outlook
could be his greatest strengths
as he champions the interests of Ford, Fiat Chrysler and
General Motors as well as the
broader Canadian auto industry.
"What really fascinates me
about the auto sector is just the
pace of technological change
and transformation that's
under way," the 36-year-old
native of Kingston, Ont., told
Automotive News Canada.
"I was so attracted to this
role because there's an opportunity to play a part in that
transformation."

process, it also could be hastening the consolidation of the
auto industry.
Closer to home, the industry is grappling with the
United-States-Mexico-Canada
Agreement, fractious trade
relations with the United
States and contract talks
between General Motors, Ford
and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles
and Unifor, which is determined to stanch the flow of
assembly jobs from Canada.
Kingston sees opportunity.
With the USMCA's new
content provisions supporting
domestic production and with
Canada's depth of tech talent,
Kingston thinks the auto sector can play a big role in the
recovery.
But competing with other
countries desperate for a postCOVID-19 rebound, he said,
will require more effort to
draw investment. U.S. reforms
have cut into Canadian tax
advantages, and this country's
business regulations are seen
as costly and cumbersome.
"Canada won't be alone in
trying to be more competitive,
attract investment," Kingston
said. "This is an opportunity
now to really go after some of
those long-standing challenges and make sure we're highly
competitive for every sector,
but auto in particular, given
how important it is to the economy."

COLLABORATION NATION
Just as necessary for
Canada to succeed is collaboration between the federal and
provincial governments and
a "common narrative" from
industry, Kingston said.
"I can tell you from my
years in Ottawa, if government
doesn't get a very clear set of
asks, advice, inputs from a sector, it makes it much easier to
ignore," he said.
Kingston saw this firsthand
in the federal government's
accelerated economist training program after he earned

Scott Bell, chair of the
CVMA and president of GM
Canada, announced Kingston's
appointment in June, citing
his expertise in a broad range
of policy issues. Kingston
replaces Mark Nantais, an
auto-sector statesman who
retired after 36 years with the
lobby group that represents
the Detroit Three in Canada.
Kingston, last at the
Business Council of Canada,
began his new post Aug. 1,
during a pandemic that has
infected more than 27 million
people globally and crippled
the world's economies. In the

* Age: 36
* Position: President and
CEO, Canadian Vehicle
Manufacturers' Association
representing Detroit Three
automakers in Canada
* Expertise: International
trade, competitiveness
* Previous jobs: Vicepresident, international
and fiscal issues, Business
Council of Canada; federal government economist
and trade policy analyst

Collaboration between
the federal and provincial
governments and a "common
narrative" from industry is
essential, Kingston said. "If
government doesn't get a
very clear set of asks, advice,
inputs from a sector, it makes
it much easier to ignore."

* CVMA's mandate:
"Create a framework within which member companies work together to
achieve shared industry
objectives on a range of
important issues such as
trade, consumer protection, the environment and
vehicle safety."

degrees at Carleton University
in Ottawa - while also serving
in the Canadian Reserve Force
- and Western University in
London, Ont. Participants in
the training program rotate
through key departments, from
the Privy Council to Treasury
Board, to gain a close-up look
at policymaking.
Kingston's final post was
Foreign Affairs, where he
worked on market-access negotiations in which autos were a
critical topic.
At the Business Council of

Canada, he led the lobbying
group's efforts in trade and had
a front-row seat to the talks for
a new North American trade
pact.
The CVMA offices are in
Toronto, but Kingston will
stay in Ottawa, and not just for
quick access to his treasured
Gatineau Park cycling routes.
He wants to be close to bureaucrats and politicians to "make
them fully aware of the importance of this sector and the role
that the CVMA and Canada's
vehicle manufacturers play."

PHOTO: ROBERT BOSTELAAR

But if he's not shy about
speaking for all, Kingston is
also not claiming to be the official auto-sector envoy.
Beyond policy, he is quick
to admit he has plenty to learn
about how cars are built. He
took a "mind-boggling" tour of
Ford's Essex Engine Plant in
Windsor, Ont. There, he was
struck by the focus on process
innovation "and how typically
every day, where it could just
be a minor tweak and you do
something on the floor, it has a
huge impact on the overall efficiency of the company."
That appreciation extends
to the value to Canada of heavy
manufacturing, a stand that
runs counter to calls for an
emphasis on investments in
R&D as opposed to assembly
lines.
The quick response of the
Detroit Three and others to
making pandemic protective
gear at their Canadian plants
proved why it's important to
be able to produce at home,
Kingston said.
COVID-19 crisis aside, auto
factories also are a key part of
a healthy auto sector, he said.
That position might not be
the party line for the Detroit
Three, which have cut car lines
and entire assembly plants
even as they have increased
research operations in Canada,
but Kingston is unflinching.
"It's all part of the package.
You are not necessarily getting
the attention as a place to do
R&D if you don't have that fundamental investment in assembly and everything else that
goes on with autos."- ANC

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Kingston, right, referred to
his tour of Ford's engine
plant in Windsor, Ont., as
"mind-boggling." He marveled
at how even a minor tweak
could have a huge impact on
the overall efficiency.
PHOTO: CVMA

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Automotive News Canada - September 2020

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