Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the delegations for being here today.
My first question is to the Chamber of Commerce. I think it was really appropriate that you noted the transition periods that took place. You're right, the furniture industry and the suit industry did do very well in the brief term after that. I had a chance to tour both of those industries as part of the industry committee's study on manufacturing, and now they're decimated because of the other issues they faced. They got a short-term benefit but are a long-term casualty in the Canadian economy. Similar to that, you also had other unexpected negative issues with NAFTA, and I'm looking for your expertise here.
With regard to the Auto Pact, when we went into NAFTA the Auto Pact was not to be a part of the negotiations and we were able to exit it, but a third party, Japan, was able to challenge that. We went from second in the world in terms of auto manufacturing to eighth. Over the last number of years we've witnessed the manufacturing sector being decimated.
What really connects, though, is a plant like mine in Windsor, the minivan plant. The vehicles literally go across the border several times to be assembled completely. We assemble them in Windsor but the parts come from a variety of places in the United States and even from Japan. It's a very successful model. But at the same time, what I'm concerned about, and I would like your expertise, is with regard to the content and how that could be interpreted in Europe.
We see today again that Canada is actually going for further North American automotive integration with emission standards, and that could also negate access to their markets.
I would like your comments on that from your experience, please.