Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to committee members.
I don't think it comes as a surprise that I support this motion. As I speak to auto industry advocates and folks who work in the auto industry on a regular basis as the co-chair of the Conservative auto caucus, I can tell you that the word used most often is “uncertainty”. As these auto workers wonder if their government is going to stand up for them or not, they are feeling uncertain, and they're feeling scared about what the future holds. They need to see some action, and they need to see clear action.
This motion would allow for that and allow for potential debate in the House—a critical debate, really, that needs to happen on the floor of the House of Commons. My riding is Oshawa, which I've mentioned before in this committee. Oshawa, Ingersoll, Brampton, Windsor.... I could keep going. In Quebec, we have the Paccar truck manufacturing plant. All of these folks are feeling the hurt, and they're worried not just about the jobs that have already been lost but also about what could potentially be coming. Oshawa's economy relies on the auto sector, and the GM Oshawa assembly plant supports thousands of families indirectly and directly in the Durham Region.
The unjustified American tariffs on Canadian autos have put Oshawa jobs and paycheques at immediate risk. Of course, other communities in Ontario and across the country are also at risk. In Oshawa, though, 750 workers will be losing their jobs in just a little over a month. That translates to more like 1,500 to 2,000, and possibly up to 5,000, in the Durham Region in the auto supply chain.
The Prime Minister promised during the election that he could negotiate a win, that he was a master negotiator and that we were going to see things done at unimaginable speeds, but July 21 came and went. The auto sector looked at that promise, and they were hoping that this was going to be it, that he was going to negotiate a deal and they'd be good to go. However, that promise has not been kept. The government has not yet lived up to its promise, and workers are now caught in the trade fight.
The United States is aggressively defending its workers, and we would like to see the Canadian government do the same here. Canada must stand up for its auto workers and deliver the fair and stable trade environment that they were promised. I believe this committee should stand united in supporting this motion.
Thank you.