Thank you so much, Chair.
Thank you to the Liberal members for allowing me to join them today.
I come from Burlington, Ontario, and steel and manufacturing are really important for us in the Burlington and Hamilton area. I read a report recently out of the University of Calgary that actually looks at the percentage of U.S. imports by province and how they're impacted by section 232 tariffs. In Ontario, 20% of our GDP is reliant on trade with the United States, and 60% of that trade to the U.S. is impacted by section 232 tariffs. Ontario is the most impacted province in the country when it comes to section 232 tariffs because we are big producers of steel, aluminum or value-added aluminum, as well as autos and auto parts, so I particularly appreciate my colleagues from Hamilton and Windsor for being here today.
Perhaps I'll start with you, Mr. Donally, because my question has to do with what you were talking about.
In Burlington and Hamilton, we have thousands of people who work in the steel and auto sectors. There are tens of thousands of people who are indirectly employed by those sectors. When I talk to manufacturers in my community, they are often family-owned SMEs, with upwards of 70% to 90% of their business in the United States, but they have chosen to stay in Canada.
Mr. Donally, what would help your members and companies like those in my riding that are so reliant on the U.S. market to diversify? Do you have some examples for us?