Mr. Speaker, of course, we should be negotiating with our partners. Except that, between you and me, the number one problem is that we have to negotiate with one trading partner, the United States, which has decided not to sign on to Kyoto. So, that poses a significant problem.
Furthermore, I want to add that stricter standards in terms of manufacturing, such as those California has adopted, do not constitute an economic disadvantage, but rather added value. There is a definite advantage, in terms of international competitiveness, to having stricter manufacturing standards for vehicles.
In fact, if we do not want Japan and Asia to impose new more fuel efficient models and take the lead over North America, we must realize that the countries able to successfully compete on international markets will be the ones that adopted stricter standards. So there is an advantage—called a “comparative advantage” by economists—to being able to adhere to stricter manufacturing standards.
Instead of thinking that the Kyoto protocol represents a significant economic cost, we must view it as an economic opportunity to improve environmental protection and add value to new vehicles that, tomorrow, will probably set the international standard.