Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister and officials, for joining us today.
I want to talk about two areas that are related and, in the interests of time, I'll try to bundle it for you, Minister, so that we can address both the manufacturing sector and the automotive sector, which you spoke to in your opening comments. I'd like to offer the opportunity to go a little deeper.
Clearly, 1.7 million Canadians are involved in the manufacturing sector. I think our government understands the importance of manufacturing to southern Ontario. The automotive sector is no stranger to that importance. Clearly, over a half a million Canadians from coast to coast to coast are employed in that industry, both directly and indirectly.
I wonder if you could speak to the manufacturing sector. You talked about the accelerated capital cost allowance, but some of the other initiatives are important to ensuring a strong manufacturing sector in southern Ontario and ideally across Canada. But also, when you talked about the automotive innovation fund and the supplier program, you covered two very important programs that I think are critical to keeping automotive manufacturers here.
To my colleague's comment on quality, manufactured quality in this country, I can tell you in automotive alone we have plants that represent both traditional domestics and import manufacturers building product in this country that are world class and amongst the best in the world.
I wonder if you could speak to some of the initiatives a little further that our government is incenting to do a bigger and better job.