I think there's a set of policies that are difficult, but are needed for us to continue to compete in the traditional manufacturing area. I'm sure you're hearing that from other groups, and I would support their recommendations in that area as well. The list of headwinds is well known and understood, from electricity prices to a number of uncertainties in policies that need to be aligned with other jurisdictions when we have a global industry, etc.
For 100 years, we've been manufacturing vehicles. Right now in the auto industry, we have the biggest transition happening since we moved off horses. As for autonomous vehicles, we have them on the road today. They're coming. I'm like you, in that I like to drive my vehicle, but that will be an important part of the change that's taking place.
We can either be part of that, on the front edge of that change, and have the high-value jobs in Canada that can be part of it, or we can continue to put the pieces together at the end of the value chain. If we're only going to put the pieces together at the end of the value chain, we're at risk. If we actually invent the products that others will assemble—perhaps here in Canada, but wherever—we will have the high-value jobs and we'll be at the front end of this industry.
I think we're at a turning point in policy as well, where we have to think about that front-end innovation aspect as well as just defending what we've had in the past. We want to keep the manufacturing base that we have, and we're delighted that we're doing that at General Motors, but it's not good enough. We'll always be fighting if that's only what we're going to focus on. We have to shift into the front-end development, engineering, and invention of things here in Canada. The good news is that we have the ability to do it. We just need to get organized.