Foreign Affairs Committee on April 23rd, 2026

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Thank you, Chair.

We have no date as to when formal discussions are going to begin between Canada and the United States on the section 232 tariffs. We've no confirmation of what the government's strategy is with respect to the 232 tariffs and that's creating, in my view and in the view of many, a great deal of uncertainty.

I want to raise the alarm bells on behalf of Ontario's auto industry. Our auto industry relies on the U.S. market to survive, to exist. Eighty-five per cent of all vehicles produced in Ontario are exported to the United States. As you know—you said you were privy to economic data—Canadian auto manufacturers say the industry has absorbed $5 billion in tariffs since 2025 and according to StatsCan, exports of motor vehicles and parts dropped 21% in January and passenger car and light truck exports fell more than 32%.

I want to quote two industry representatives. Brian Kingston of the Canadian Vehicle Manufacturers Association said, “You cannot have a commercially viable automotive plant in Canada facing tariffs of that size.” Toyota has said—and they're the largest, as you know, auto assembler in Ontario—that the tariffs have made manufacturing in Ontario “unsustainable”. Recently, Honda and Toyota formed a new Canadian industry association and my interpretation of that is that they are extremely worried about where this is all going.

The auto sector in Ontario employs 100,000 people, and they want to know when relief will be in sight. The lack of answers on this is, frankly, quite concerning. The government keeps saying that we have the lowest tariff rate of any country in the world. That's of no consolation to the automobile manufacturers in Ontario when they've paid $5 billion in tariffs, and they've said that this is unsustainable and that you can't have manufacturing plants in Ontario with this level of tariff. The government won't tell us when the section 232 tariffs on automobiles are going to be resolved, unlike Mexico, which is actively negotiating on these issues this week, our government here....

By the way, this is not an investment bank. It's a democracy, and this is the heart of the democracy. Canadians have a right to know what's going on. We don't know what's going on. Do you understand how this lack of transparency, the lack of answers at this committee, which is a formal public forum, is driving a great deal of even more uncertainty in Ontario's automotive sector about what the future of the industry is in Ontario? Do you acknowledge that?

[Mark Wiseman]

As I said earlier, uncertainty is a very bad thing for the economy. It's bad for business and it's bad for investment. The uncertainty in this case has been caused by the unjustified 232 tariffs that the United States has put on—

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills North, ON]

Ambassador, with respect, I agree with you on that, but there's even more uncertainty layered on top of those unjustified 232 tariffs because of the government's unwillingness to tell us what is going on.

We get more information from the Government of Mexico about what they are doing through the statements they are issuing, and we get a dearth of information about what is coming from the Canadian government. We read news sources about anonymous, high-ranking Canadian sources, about unnamed anonymous Quebec sources, telling us what is going on. This is the forum for us to hear officially from the Government of Canada what exactly is going on.

We have been having these debates now for some time in Parliament and we don't get any information. Like I said, there are families who go to bed every night in southwestern Ontario, where I'm from, who are scared to death about where their future paycheques are coming from. Manufacturing in my part of Ontario is plummeting. It's shrinking. People are worried. Information is important.

Don't you agree? Will you take back to your government the need for more information to come from the government about what the approach is and when we're going to have negotiations on section 232 tariffs? The industry is running out of time. You can't keep paying $5 billion in tariffs and keep these plants open. At some point, something is going to break.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

We will go, next, to MP Sameer Zuberi.

You have five minutes.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Wiseman, thank you for being with us today.

I want to congratulate you on your new posting and the important work you're doing on behalf of the Government of Canada. We appreciate your being here for the full two hours.

I want to continue the conversation we were having. Actually, my colleague Mr. Oliphant was asking about this. You elaborated, in those answers, on the interactions you are having with governors in the United States. Perhaps you could continue on that theme and share with us how you're engaging with the executive, Congress and other governors beyond the border states.

How are those interactions going, and what are the results thus far?

[Mark Wiseman]

Thank you.

Just as there are many constituencies in Canada, there are many constituencies in the United States. In my early days, what I'm trying to do is interact with as many of those constituencies as possible. In my first two months, I've met with dozens of members of Congress, both members of the House and members of the Senate. I'm particularly making an effort to meet Republican members of Congress and members of Congress from border states.

In addition to that, in terms of engagement with the United States, I've met with a number of members of the executive branch in the administration. They are the ones who are putting the policies in place, obviously, including the unjustified section 232 tariffs. I'm trying to understand their position and explain Canada's position.

Importantly, I'm explaining the importance of Canada to the United States. For example, the previous member was talking about the auto industry and the importance of the U.S. market. It's also important to remind both the American industry and American political leadership that Canada is the single biggest buyer of U.S.-manufactured automobiles and light trucks outside the United States of America. We are both a producer and a market for many American regions and many American industries.

In terms of governors specifically, I attended the National Governors Association meetings in Washington. That was in my first or second week on the job. I'm in regular dialogue with certain state governors on the border. I will be travelling to various regions of the country to meet people on their own turf, which I think is also very important.

Finally, I want to reiterate the incredibly good work our consulates do across the United States. Each of our consulates represents not just the state it's located in but also a number of other states so that we have direct representation and a plan for each of the 50 states across the United States of America. That coverage model is particularly important. Our consuls general and their teams are integrated, and they will be even more integrated into our plan going forward.

That's what I've done in the short time I've been there, along with my team. I am incredibly well supported and very well briefed for all of these meetings, and we will be doing more of them. There can't be white space in our calendars.

[Sameer Zuberi, Liberal, Pierrefonds—Dollard, QC]

Thank you. That was a pretty fulsome answer.

I have about 30 seconds, so I'll leave it to you to share what you'd like with us in the remainder of this time.

[Mark Wiseman]

I'll go back to what I stated in response to one of the earlier questions.

I am incredibly honoured to have this position. I am humbled by the trust and confidence the Prime Minister has placed in me. I recognize the importance of this role to all Canadians across the country. I will not be perfect. Mistakes will be made, but where we make mistakes, we will correct them. We will try not to make the same mistakes again. I will tirelessly carry out this mandate to the very best of my ability in support of Canada, all Canadians and the Government of Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

Thank you very much.

We will have a shortened round for the final round, beginning with MP Kyle Seeback.

You have five minutes.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Again, Ambassador, thank you for being here.

I share my colleague's deep dissatisfaction with your sort of unwillingness to answer very direct questions on things that do not seem to be confidential in nature, including when the last formal negotiations took place on section 232 tariffs. The American ambassador has been clear on this, that it hasn't happened for at least seven months. I find your unwillingness to confirm that to committee deeply troubling. We're here to represent Canadians. I have a lot of auto workers in my riding who have lost their jobs at the Brampton assembly plant, and others who work at Honda who are deeply concerned that they may lose their jobs. I think your lack of forthrightness on this is deeply troubling.

You did say, however, that you're in possession of an economic analysis of the economic damage that is being done to the industries suffering from the section 232 tariffs. I would ask that you provide that economic analysis to the committee so that we also can understand what economic damage is happening to those affected industries. Will you provide those documents to the committee?

[Mark Wiseman]

I believe some of those documents constitute privilege and advice to ministers—

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

The ones that don't, can you provide those to the committee?

[Mark Wiseman]

Mr. Chair, I will get back to the committee on that. I'm not experienced enough to know exactly which of those documents fall into—

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Okay, but I would like to have your agreement that if there are economic analysis documents that are not privileged, you will produce them.

[Mark Wiseman]

Mr. Chair, I'll get back to the committee on our ability to produce those documents.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I really don't think that's an answer. I don't want privileged documents. If there are economic documents that are not privileged, will you produce them for the committee?

[Mark Wiseman]

Mr. Chair, I will get back to the committee on my ability to produce those documents. I just don't have the awareness.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

I'm not asking about your awareness. I'm saying that you cannot produce confidential or privileged documents, but if there are unprivileged or non-confidential documents, will you produce them? I'm finding your obtuseness on this deeply troubling.

[Rob Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West, ON]

Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.

The witness has answered. The question has been asked five times now. The answer has been received. It is inappropriate to continue to badger a witness who is a public servant.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

He hasn't said yes or no.

[The Chair, Liberal, Ahmed Hussen]

My understanding is that the witness has committed to learn about the process of responding to committee requests for documents and abiding by our process.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

He's undertaking to do that—okay.

Ambassador, given that an economic analysis has been done on the cost of these section 232 tariffs, the government therefore knows what the cost of delay is. If it turns out that there has been a strategy to slow-roll negotiations or delay negotiations, it's being done with the full knowledge of the economic impact it's causing Canadians. Would you agree with that statement?

[Mark Wiseman]

As I stated earlier, the Government of Canada, our chief negotiator and Minister LeBlanc are ready, willing and prepared to commence discussions. There's no hidden strategy. We are ready to go.

[Kyle Seeback, Conservative, Dufferin—Caledon, ON]

Ambassador, it's just been reported in the Wall Street Journal that Prime Minister Mark Carney has said that officials are ready to negotiate or wait it out until the U.S. addresses some of his country's concerns.

If part of the strategy is waiting it out, as the Prime Minister has said, as reported in the Wall Street Journal, the waiting out strategy is being done with the knowledge of the economic harm it's causing.

[Mark Wiseman]

I can just reiterate that we are ready, willing and prepared with our chief negotiator and Minister LeBlanc to commence the formal review process of CUSMA whenever possible.