Canadian Textiles

The Canadian textiles industry is one of Canada’s oldest manufacturing industries. Established over 150 years ago in small, urban communities that offered a stable labour supply and rivers ideally suited for water-generated power and dyeing/ finishing processes, the industry started with the manufacture of yarns and fabrics from natural fibres. Currently, the industry is located mainly in Quebec and Ontario, is heavily capital-intensive, uses natural, artificial and manmade fibres and filaments, and supplies over 150 consumer, household and industrial customers in Canada and worldwide.

"Canada's textile manufacturing industry has transformed itself in the last twenty to twenty-five years through substantial and sustained capital investment. The result: an industry that is modern, efficient, increasingly capital-intensive, a major user of high technology and a provider of quality jobs for thousands of Canadians. Innovation and investment are the key to the industry's future success in the global trading environment and to its continuing contribution to the health of the Canadian economy." Liz Siwicki, President, Canadian Textiles Institute.