Thank you.
Thank you for inviting me here to Canada to the committee today to respond to the Toyota recalls.
Over the past few months many Canadians have wondered whether Toyota vehicles are safe, and we regret that this has caused our customers both anxiety and inconvenience. We intend to address these concerns today as a Canadian company.
We sell more Canadian-built vehicles in Canada than any other company. In fact, over half of the vehicles we sell here are Canadian built. We therefore welcome this opportunity to explain why Toyota vehicles are safe and continue to be among the safest and highest quality in the world.
I know this because as a senior Toyota executive I have been exposed to many experiences around the world. A decade ago I developed an early appreciation for Canada's unique market differences, having worked to bring Canadian drivers the Toyota Echo hatchback, a model unique to this Canadian market.
As the president and chief executive officer of Toyota Canada my mandate is to ensure that our Canadian operations adhere to Canadian goals and regulations and Toyota's global core values. A Canadian perspective is really important when explaining the recall, all issues related to this campaign, and what we will be doing in the future to minimize the possibility of such issues reoccurring.
We also welcome this opportunity to provide some suggestions to the members of this committee on ways the industry, regulators, and other stakeholders can work together to ensure the safety of all vehicles on Canadian roads.
Appearing with me today is Mr. Yoshi Inaba, president and CEO of Toyota Motor North America; Mr. Ray Tanguay, president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada; and Mr. Stephen Beatty, managing director of Toyota Canada Inc.
Mr. Inaba, please.