Flavio Volpe

Flavio has repeatedly played a decisive role in national economic and industrial outcomes on trade, industrial policy and Canada-U.S. economic relations as president of the APMA. He represents a sector that sits at the structural heart of North American manufacturing integration and is tireless in its defence and promotion.

In 2025, he emerged as the central industry architect behind Canada’s successful advocacy for a Section 232 exemption for auto parts, securing relief from US nationalsecurity tariffs during a renewed Trump-era trade confrontation. The exemption preserved thousands of Canadian jobs and protected the integrity of the continental auto supply chain.

In 2020, he launched the first all-Canadian, autonomous concept ZEV – the Project Arrow program. The first prototype was revealed at the 2023 CES in Las Vegas to global coverage and is the premier showcase of Canada’s auto tech cluster. Project Arrow 2.0 continues to showcase Canada’s supplier capabilities with its two new prototypes, Vector and Borealis, having been revealed to the public at the 2026 Canadian International Auto Show.

Appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2023 as ‘an expert on national trade and industry competition in Canada’s automotive and technology sectors’, Flavio has been named to the Prime Minister’s Council on Canada-US Relations & to the Ontario Premier’s Council on US Trade & Investment.

He is a sought-after voice by House Committees in Ottawa, has testified before Trade Committees in Washington, DC and is regularly interviewed by leading global media firms including CNN, Reuters, The Economist, NYT, Bloomberg, WSJ, BBC & WaPo