Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Ambassador. You have indicated that the ties between Canada and Japan are strong and deep. You mentioned the 35-year anniversary of the JET Programme. I'm sure my wife would appreciate it if I thanked your government on her behalf. She was a JET participant in 1997-98. She participated in the program in Japan. She lived in Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan and taught English there. She has many fond memories of that time and still keeps in touch with acquaintances she made at that time, so thank you for that program.
One of the areas we haven't touched on is Japan's leadership in automobile manufacturing. The largest automobile company in the world is Toyota Motor Corporation. We referenced critical minerals earlier tonight. As you know, most leading OECD economies have a 2035 battery electric vehicle mandate, where all vehicles are to be full battery electric vehicles.
Mr. Toyoda, the president of Toyota Motor Corporation, has indicated that this is not possible, that it's not physically possible to meet those targets. He recently suggested that those targets should be replaced with a more aggressive hybrid vehicle target. We know that Toyota Motor Corporation is the world leader in hybrid technology. In Canada, Toyota builds hybrids in the Cambridge, Ontario, plant. Honda builds vehicles in Alliston, Ontario.
What is your government's position on looking at alternative ways to reduce emissions that would involve stronger hybrid mandates instead of the aggressive battery electric vehicle mandates that most countries have currently agreed to?