Thank you, Mr. Chair, and thank you to my colleagues.
I may not take the full 15 minutes, but I do want to take an opportunity to at least introduce this bill, Bill C-273, which, as you noted, is affectionately known as “the right to repair”, and to provide the public with some background as to why the bill was brought forth, what's taken place, and what's going to happen in the future.
This has been an exciting opportunity for me, coming as I do from the auto sector of Windsor, Ontario, the capital of the auto sector of Canada, and being able to work on another auto issue. I've spent a lot of time in the House of Commons working on issues related to the production and distribution of vehicles.
What came about was that I was presented with a case of problems in the aftermarket with regard to onboard diagnostics that were introduced in 1996. There was a concern related to people getting the proper equipment, training, and software. I quickly found through some research that there were some concerns about this issue. As I went around and visited my local shops in the Windsor-Essex county area, I confirmed some of the concerns that were being brought forth. Some were for very legitimate reasons and some were for reasons that I thought were not necessarily fair.
I felt it was important for the bill to come forward in order to engage good public debate, as well as to look at this issue not only through the eyes of the consumer, but also from an environmental point of view and in terms of protection of the standards on the roads.
What was happening was that some vehicles couldn't get repairs in the aftermarket shops, repairs that were happening in Detroit, Michigan, two miles across the water from my hometown. It's interesting to note that some of those repairs were being done by people who were less trained, because the qualifications of the technicians in Canada are actually superior to those of technicians in the United States.
When we introduced this bill, it attracted a lot of public interest. I would like to thank all those who took part in that debate on both sides, as well as the general public who started to step forward and raise the issues. The bill moved through the House of Commons, as everyone knows. Recently it passed with 247 in favour, so the House of Commons obviously noted that this was going to be a very significant issue that we should look at.
To be clear, I also had an opportunity to go across this country. When I went to Edmonton, I found the same problems that were in my community with, for example, certain software not being available. When I went out to British Columbia, it was the same thing. Most recently I was out in the Halifax area, where I met with technician Ken Pickles. He went through a series of demonstrations of technology that had been purchased but wasn't capable of being used successfully. What that meant for consumers was that they had fewer options. I also found out that there were some real solutions that could take place.
Recently, as we all know, because of this activity and public debate, the minister signed on, together with the auto industry and the aftermarket, to a voluntary agreement that came forward. I had some concerns with that voluntary agreement, because I felt that legislation was the place the bill should be at the end of the day. At the same time, from that voluntary agreement announcement, there's also been additional inclusion of others, including the AIA, in issues that appear to be headed towards resolution.
Today I want to put thanks on the public record. We're going to move into some deliberations with the groups that are here today, but I want to read some names, Mr. Chair. Since I have 15 minutes, I want to read these names, because people worked hard and came forward. That's how I would like to spend my time. We can delve into the issues later.
I want to thank John Strickey of Midas Automotive in Halifax, Nova Scotia; Ron Jones of Mid-Island Automotive, Nanaimo, B.C.; Bob Oliver, executive director of Pollution Probe; Bento from Bento Automotive; Dave Santing from OK Tire and the Windsor Professional Auto Repair Association; John Sawatsky from MSJ Automotive and the Windsor Professional Auto Repair Association; Nancy and Roger Suranyi of Namao Automotive in Edmonton; Mario Schuchardt from Canadian Tire; Art Wilderman, Devon Jacobs, and Scott Smith from AIA; Chris White from CAA; Eric Lamoureux from CAA; Cynthia Lee from CAA; Dan Houle from ASPQ; Andrea Chamberlain from NAPA, Rockland; Cindy Wolfe from NAPA, Morrisburg; Bob Blakely from BTC; and Daniel Grech, who is one the technicians who came forward for a press conference. I will make sure the translators have all these names and information, Mr. Chair.
I would like to conclude by also thanking the thousands of Canadians who sent in e-mails, made suggestions for improvements to the bill, and debated it. It's very important that we had that contact.
I know there was intense lobbying on the Hill, on both sides--those who had concerns about the bill, but also those who very much supported the bill--and we appreciated that input.
Additionally, I would like to thank CVMA, AIAMC, and AIA for their efforts in terms of the discussion and debate over the last few weeks as this bill has moved forward.
Should we have what I'm hopeful will be a good solid presentation and some solutions in front of us, then I have a motion I will be moving that could conclude this process.
I want to thank, once again, all those who have participated, the upcoming witnesses, and of course the committee for taking this interest.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.