There is a tariff for Japanese cars coming into Canada. You're saying maybe they need to compete. I think that's exactly what they would welcome. They'd welcome an opportunity to effectively compete in the Japanese market. Let's face it, it's much larger than the Canadian market.
But as far as their ability goes, I think the import levels for non-Japanese cars on average is about 1%, and those tend to be vehicles in very niche markets, which they don't make domestically.
Whether it's autos or any other product, if you talk to Canadian businesses they'll say they're ready to compete against anybody, domestically and globally, but they want to make sure they have reciprocity in terms of our trade agreements. Whether it's with Japan or any other market, we're pushing for the same type of thing.
Just to talk a little bit about Europe, there is a situation with Europe. On the auto side it looks as though Europe might gain more than Canada would, but I think people are willing to live with the principle that as long as we have reciprocal market access and we have a level playing field, we're willing and ready to compete with anybody. Sometimes it happens in trade deals that one side wins more than the other.
With Japan the barrier is pretty clear. It's a tariff barrier and it's very transparent. With Japan the barriers are non-tariff barriers and they're not transparent, they are opaque. So how do you actually deal with them in a trade agreement? That's actually interesting. That's probably why trade negotiators earn their money, but that's where we're looking for solutions.