Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  Mr. Chairman, thank you for the invitation to participate in this hearing on the auto industry in Canada. First let me say a few words about our association. JAMA Canada was established in 1984 with the mandate to enhance understanding on trade and economic issues in the auto se

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I don't think I'll add anything more at this time.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I'm not an expert on what the Japanese government is doing at the moment, but I believe that Toyota has requested some assistance on credit from the Japanese government for their global operations and operations in Japan as well. I'm not aware that there's assistance to the labo

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I think I could put in a request to our Tokyo office and get a sense of what's going on in Japan and any assistance that may be provided.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  It is a complicated situation with global supply chains. Certainly I am aware, from comments that have been made to me by our members, that they have concerns about the viability of GM, Ford, and Chrysler because at some levels they do share some suppliers. If any of the dire sce

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I assume you're referring just to Japanese automakers' operations?

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I don't have a lot of detailed pricing information. There was a concern in 2007, when the Canadian dollar was above par, that Canadian pricing was not reflecting the full value of that dollar, and of course pricing is generally to the market. To compare exactly a vehicle in Canad

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  I think the hourly rate at a big three plant in Canada would be comparable to the hourly rate at one of our member's plants in Canada, yes.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  At this point I have not heard of companies considering layoffs. They're going to look at any number of measures that can help them adjust to the current market, including slowing down the line rate and reducing overtime. There are situations when extended periods of time off hav

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  The hourly rate might be very similar. Where they differ is probably on the benefits side of the package.

Subcommittee on the Automotive Industry in Canada committee  We have specific concerns about the impact that the preferential tariffs on Korean vehicles might have on our members, both those who are importing from Japan and those who are investing in manufacturing in Canada, for small vehicles in particular, which are very popular with Can

International Trade committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. Good afternoon. Thank you for the opportunity to speak to you in support of this important initiative to broaden and deepen our bilateral relationship. As mentioned, I'm the executive director of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association

International Trade committee  No, I don't see that.

International Trade committee  The removal of the 6.1% tariff for us is related to the fact that one-third of the vehicles that we sell in Canada—and two out of three are built locally as I mentioned in my presentation—still come from Japan, and a number of our member companies are still reliant on Japan for t

International Trade committee  Well, let me say first of all that I think it's often related to the effort that's put into it. I know that American companies have obviously been disappointed by their performance in Japan, but the fact of the matter is that they seem to have been diminishing their operations in