Thank you very much.
First of all, yes, we are in crisis in Windsor and Essex County. There's no question about it. As I stated earlier, with just that one local union representing Ford workers facing the potential loss of 2,200 jobs within the next year, I would dare say it is a crisis. Not only are those jobs going to be lost to this community and to this country; there's also going to be a spin-off effect down to the mould shops and to the other parts plants that will also affect that industry.
How do you fix it? You have to level the playing field, as I said earlier. If it's good for Chinese workers, Korean workers, Japanese workers to be protected by their governments, why is it not correct to protect the Canadian auto workers and the manufacturing sector jobs as well? Why is it okay for us to export all our expertise over there, when they're allowed to ship back those products because of the expertise we're sending over there?
Thus comes the absolute need for an auto policy that's going to put in protection for Canadian jobs. That is lacking, and has been lacking on the federal level, for far too long.
So I share our MP for Windsor West's passion in the House of Commons when he's trying to get this committee and the federal government to understand what the need is.
I know that in the province of Quebec, as an example, when we lost that Sainte-Thérèse plant, it had a tremendous effect on the General Motors' side in relation to that particular province, as far as being competitive in relationship to auto jobs was concerned. It's an absolute necessity that we level the playing field and put in an auto policy that's going to protect Canadian jobs, as our offshore competitors are protecting theirs.