International Trade committee  I can go first, Mr. Easter. It is pretty clear, with regard to automotive, for both vehicles and parts, they have some defensive interests coming into Canada. They already export vehicles to Canada. They already do some manufacturing in Canada and North America. Eliminating the

International Trade committee  That's a very good question. We have an eight-point plan that outlines our overall priorities for manufacturing competitiveness in Canada. In terms of the situation you outlined, I think manufacturers have gone through a perfect storm. They've seen the dollar appreciate rapidly

International Trade committee  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.

International Trade committee  That's.... I was hoping you wouldn't ask that.

International Trade committee  I think it's actually at zero, but I'll have to double-check. My sense is that the tariffs aren't an issue when it comes to exporting cars to Japan.

International Trade committee  Again, I'm not a spokesperson for the auto industry, but we have other members—

International Trade committee  It is certain that the manufacturing heart of Canada is located in the central part of the country—in Ontario and Quebec. Over two-thirds of Canada's manufacturing sector and manufacturing activities are concentrated in that area. Those two provinces probably share the concerns I

International Trade committee  That's a good question. The Japanese industrial sector has not developed by accident. That country adopted a concerted strategy, after the Second World War, in order to build a world-class industry. Today, Japan is in an enviable position, but so is Canada. Our manufacturing in

International Trade committee  We may look at the aerospace industry or the electronics sector. RIM is often used as an example. However, many of our members manufacture products, ranging from mining equipment to electronics.

International Trade committee  In Quebec, we often think of the furniture and textile industries. It is said that those are traditional industries on their way out. Of course, those sectors have experienced difficulties over the past few years. People often say that industries such as aeronautics are cutting-e

International Trade committee  Yes, exactly. As long as our companies have access to international markets.

International Trade committee  Well, for starters, as I indicated earlier, the analysis we have access to shows that a little less than a third of our natural resources produced in this country end up being processed by the manufacturing sector in this country. So the resource boom, if you want to call it that

International Trade committee  I think Japan has some potential. To the extent that they're negotiating trade agreements with other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, they might become more of a platform for companies that want to establish a presence in the region. Traditionally, though, companies have loo

International Trade committee  I can't speak on behalf of the auto sector—I assume you'll be inviting them—but I can tell you that we have members in the automotive sector, including their supply chain partners, and it's a key issue in these negotiations. Obviously we have an auto tariff, and despite that we

International Trade committee  As I mentioned earlier, the manufacturing sector has more at stake than anyone else in these negotiations. The fact that the main Canadian exports to Japan are natural resource products shows that Richard and his mining sector and natural resources sector members have done excell