International Trade committee  With regard to Colombia, Chile, and Peru, at this point in time we don't have a significant presence. We have people on the ground because we're looking at opportunities in rail and also aerospace. We have some prospective customers in those countries. In rail, as I mentioned briefly in my opening remarks, we're looking at opportunities to supply signalling systems and train control technologies for the metro lines that they want to expand in Chile and Peru.

International Trade committee  We see it as allying ourselves with countries that are on the same wavelength as Canada regarding free trade. What I am talking about here are countries that believe firmly in open markets. It also means raising standards together, essentially to set examples that can be applied to other bilateral or regional agreements.

International Trade committee  It is a business opportunity. Mexico, where we have a strong manufacturing presence, as I mentioned, has agreements with the other member countries of the Pacific Alliance. Our approach is certainly not bilateral only; it is global and regional, when it comes to the value chain and the supply chain.

International Trade committee  For myself, I would leave it up to the government to set the priorities for the negotiations. There are potential synergies between the TPP, which is a priority both for the government and for us, and the Pacific Alliance. Realistically, I am wondering when Canada could become a full member of the Pacific Alliance.

International Trade committee  Yes. I said that Pacific Alliance members did not face significant barriers, be they tariff or non-tariff.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Chair, for the opportunity to appear before the committee. I look forward to an exchange with you on our perspectives on the Pacific Alliance. Again, my name is Pierre Seïn Pyun. I'm vice-president for government affairs at the corporate office of Bombardier. What I would propose to do is to give just a very quick overview of the company and our priorities, and then look at our activities and perspectives in Latin America overall, and then conclude with our take and comments on the Pacific Alliance in particular.

Natural Resources committee  I think there are still some issues in terms of cost—the cost of the feedstock, the cost of the process—which needs to be brought down for there to be any hope that we will see it used widely in the industry in the future. I think it's at least four times more costly than just regular aviation fuel, at this point in time.

Natural Resources committee  That project was essentially completed last year. There was a demonstration flight with biofuel based on that feedstock. There was then a second flight, a commercial revenue flight that Porter operated, again using the same biofuel. The objective of the project was to be able to demonstrate that this mix of fuel, which was 50% biofuel and 50% regular diesel fuel—

Natural Resources committee  I can answer your question. Bombardier actively contributed to Mr. Emerson's aerospace review. We had the opportunity to give the company's perspective, obviously, along with other players in the industry. We are quite pleased with the review's findings and the 17 recommendations it proposes for the aerospace sector.

Natural Resources committee  With respect to the SR and ED program, our view is that it's been a good program to support innovation. But in times of economic downturn, especially for a company like Bombardier, which is extremely export-oriented, with 93% of its revenue deriving from export markets, and which, for all intents and purposes, is not really generating profits here in Canada, we're not able to benefit from the program in years when we're not making profits, as you know....

Natural Resources committee  Sure. Thank you very much for your question. I was starting to feel a bit neglected with all the questions going to other companies. But joking aside, the recreational product division of Bombardier was spun off from the company a few years ago. Now it's a separate company. I'm not really in a position to comment on that, but it is part and parcel of the history of Bombardier.

Natural Resources committee  Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee. Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you and to share our thoughts on the development of energy-efficient technologies. I'm Pierre Pyun, vice-president for government affairs at Bombardier Corporate Office. I'm joined by one of my colleagues on the transportation side of our company, Bombardier Transportation North America, to be more precise, Mr.

International Trade committee  It may be different types of services that we are requiring from our post in India. In the sectors in which we operate, governments tend to be very involved. The role of the government to engage in economic diplomacy, if only to level the playing field for us, I think is very important.

International Trade committee  I would just note that even for large companies like Bombardier we do work very closely with the Trade Commissioner Service and—

International Trade committee  To clarify, we don't see that as a major obstacle, because this is the reality of our business in the rail sector. We're seeing offset requirements and local content requirements in virtually all the markets in which we do business, including in the U.S., with its Buy American policy.