International Trade committee  Are you asking me that question?

International Trade committee  We have. I could get into more details on that with a document I could send to you, but yes, we have, because we are seeing that.... EVs are a new market, so there's a lot of adjustment to be done, whether it's on the utilities side, the infrastructure side or the regulatory side.

International Trade committee  Perfect.

International Trade committee  Absolutely.

International Trade committee  You are absolutely right. I feel that the strategic innovation fund is extremely important and worthwhile. We must make sure that not only companies like Lion Electric can take advantage of it, but that small companies can do so too. Sometimes, that's not easy. Some time ago, I remember that, with the AIF, the Automotive Innovation Fund, the companies that could take advantage of it were mostly multinationals, because it needed an upfront investment of $75 million in order to access the money.

International Trade committee  No, I couldn't tell you that we are losing jobs in electric mobility, because right now we are creating jobs in electric mobility. The transition is going from fossil fuels to renewable and electric mobility, so this is not something that we are talking about. We're actually looking for qualified people.

International Trade committee  Absolutely, because we think that having different standards.... It's an issue we've seen in other technologies and other industries, that having technologies where the regulation is not integrated is a real problem. Those of you who are old enough remember VHS versus Betamax. We have that issue in electric mobility.

International Trade committee  I don't think that we can be completely self-sufficient, but we could be much less dependent on batteries from China, Korea or Japan, because we could develop the expertise. The Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec worked together to announce the launch of a battery plant for Lion Electric.

International Trade committee  As we said, we think that working on a North American act would trigger a lot of growth for Canadian industries, especially since the Biden administration talks more and more about the EV industry, getting more electric vehicles, from light-duty to heavy-duty, on U.S. roads and creating American jobs.

International Trade committee  That's a good question. I think it would be best to include Mexico in that, because we already have Mexico as a partner with Canada and the U.S. As well, when we're talking about the auto industry, it's a relationship that's built between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. However, the technology and the knowledge that we have in Canada is worth something.

International Trade committee  Yes, we are in favour of an innovation program specifically focused on electrifying transportation. According to the Speech from the Throne, the budget, Canada's climate plan, and the agreement with the Biden administration, the government wants to speed up the electrification of transportation.

International Trade committee  Electric Mobility Canada suggests that we develop our own Canadian strategy for electrifying transportation, rather than having piecemeal programs. We want a comprehensive vision for electric transportation, as is the case in Europe. President Biden and Prime Minister Trudeau have stated that they want to work together to develop a Canada—USA strategy for electrifying transportation.

International Trade committee  I feel we could work collaboratively. When I was responsible for the Quebec government's strategy to electrify transportation, I persuaded that government to come to a collaborative research and development agreement with California. The agreement was signed and it is still in effect today.

International Trade committee  I'm sorry. My microphone was not placed correctly. Let me start again. Yes, we do have advantages, because there's a lot of knowledge and know-how in Canada regarding electric mobility, whether it's for trucks or buses. We now have electric snowmobiles coming from Canada, so we have an advantage.

International Trade committee  Good morning. We would like to thank the members of the Standing Committee on International Trade for their study on Canada's exports of environmental and clean technology goods and services. Founded in 2006, Electric Mobility Canada is one of the world's leading organizations focused on the electrification of transportation.