Industry committee  Maybe I should let Matt take it first, in terms of the state of the industry. Whether domestic or international, all vehicle manufacturers have been impacted by the current state of the economy and of the industry, as you've highlighted. It's important to highlight too that we're not talking about all vehicle manufacturers giving something up.

Industry committee  I'm happy to answer that question. I think it may have been you, Mr. Valeriote, who referred to this earlier. There have been a number of intervenors around the table trying to get to the point where everybody could be brought into this agreement. I was asked what it would take from our perspective, as AIAMC, to get AIA onboard.

Industry committee  Again, just to make sure I understand your question, the first question was, if AIA does not join the CASIS, will that change anything? As the three parties to the CASIS, I think we've been clear all along with those of you we've had the opportunity to meet with--and I think we've met with probably all of you--that this agreement is going to go forward regardless of whether AIA is on board or not.

Industry committee  Mr. Chairman and committee members, thank you very much for the invitation to appear before the committee today to review Bill C-273. My name is David Adams, and I'm the president of the Association of International Automobile Manufacturers of Canada. Our association represents 14 member companies, which sell over 51% of the vehicles in Canada and 64% of the passenger cars in Canada.

Finance committee  I think what we're saying is that it makes sense that if you were going to be eliminating one half of a program you would also eliminate the other half of the program. And I think the other aspect to that is if that excise tax is actually visible to the consumer so that they know they're paying more for that particular product, then that maybe speaks to your issue.

Finance committee  I can get those numbers for you, but my anecdotal thought would be that it probably hasn't done a whole lot to affect sales of those vehicles.

Finance committee  Yes.

Finance committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair and committee members. As you know, the AIAMC is the national trade association that represents the Canadian interests of 14 international automobile manufacturers that manufacture, distribute, and market vehicles in Canada. As you're all aware, this year has witnessed tumultuous change in the automotive sales and production industries in North America, which has been exacerbated by the global recession.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I just want to add that we've talked about 16% or 17% retention of production in Canada, but going back to what we've all said in our presentations, the real key is to improve vehicle sales throughput, because 16% or 17% of $10 million is a heck of a lot different from 16% or 17% of $17 million.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I think both major parties have struggled with Canada-Korea because part of the challenge in our existing circumstance is our reliance on the U.S. market for virtually all of our exports. It's trying to diversify your trading relationships and then also trying to weigh the impact that diversification has on your own economy.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I think that really is modelled on the Canadian Automotive Partnership Council model, which involved the participation of academia, workers, and parts manufacturers. I think where CAPC might have been lacking a little bit was in representation from my membership more broadly. It's one thing to have the manufacturers present, but potentially, at any given time, any company could possibly become a manufacturer in Canada.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Yes.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  If you're looking at your bill in particular, I don't know that it necessarily addresses what you want it to address. As I understand it, you're looking for the provision of information, training, tooling--

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Whether in the U.S. or in Canada, I think the reality of getting your vehicle repaired is contingent on whether it's a dealership or an independent repair shop having expended resources to purchase the manuals, which are readily available from sources other than the manufacturer, and the tooling, which is readily available from sources other than the manufacturer.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Probably about 85%.