There's no magic solution. We have to live with the situation we have. As I said, there's the variety of businesses that make up the manufacturing sector. Of course there are the giants, like the big automotive companies, but there are a lot of small and medium-size businesses that are often poorly equipped to deal with shocks like the ones we're experiencing. You have to take that into account.
We definitely won't be putting up walls around Canada. However, we must implement safeguards for a few years to protect industries in transition. We're supposed to introduce trade safeguards when there is a shock, that is to say when there is a significant import penetration, for whatever reason. If we don't raise those reasons in the clothing, furniture, consumer goods, sports equipment or any other industry now, I really wonder when we will. That's why I'm sorry to learn that the government isn't going to intervene in this matter.
So structures must be created. We think that's how it should be. There are sectoral manpower training committees looking for solutions to the skilled labour shortage in certain fields.
There are also programs. For example, there's the Industrial Research Assistance Program of the National Research Council of Canada which has expertise. Not all companies can afford engineers for very specific matters.
Why not invest resources in given sectors? Why not have expert technical resources to provide advice at reasonable cost to enable these businesses to modernize so that they can continue operating?
There are avenues, but we have to have the will to bring everyone along together. We don't do that in Canada. Unfortunately, we've left the industries to themselves. For example, Mr. Lapierre mentioned aerospace, which is a good case. We are one of the top four countries in the world in that industry. And yet we're not taking the necessary measures to continue in this leadership position.