Madam Speaker, I thank the hon. member for the polite tone in which that question was asked. I am sure that in the future all of his questions will be equally polite. I am confident of that.
Even President Obama has been extremely clear that he is concerned about the protectionist measures that have been initially introduced in the U.S. Congress, which is why he will speak to the senate to try to amend that legislation.
What we have to be careful of is that when we establish protectionist policies, all we ultimately do is create a downward spiral to our business. In effect, what happens is we are no longer hewers of wood and drawers of water. We rely on trade to make this work for us.
It is not useful to have a protectionist policy such as buy Canada. In automobile trade, 80% of our automobiles go to the States. What would happen to this country if we could not export the cars we make to the United States? That would be devastating to this country and our economy. That would be brutal.