International Trade committee  I'm always on team Canada.

International Trade committee  Yes, they did, and some of my guidance was to call the rest of you.

International Trade committee  Thank you for having me.

International Trade committee  Well, you went to the wrong guy with one minute left. The difference between our interpretation and their interpretation—and their interpretation was deemed to be wrong by the panel—would require more local content. I think they were trying to drive for more American content, in part to be able to qualify a vehicle.

International Trade committee  I don't know about the specific issue you're talking about, but in general, if we're seen as the place for Chinese vehicles to land at a lower price, and then that displaces sales of vehicles manufactured by market-driven players in the U.S., if I were sitting at USTR, I'd take that as a signal that Canada isn't as committed to this partnership in defending “fortress North America” against subsidized centrally planned players.

International Trade committee  Sure. Canadian manufacturers are heavily invested in Mexico and are out buying raw materials at market-driven prices. I think we've expressed that concern for years during the NAFTA renegotiations and since, and the Americans are very sensitive to that on both sides of the House.

International Trade committee  Thank you. On that specific issue, all three countries agreed that in the original text and interpretation of the USMCA that there were specific local content thresholds for different types of parts. Once those parts were deemed to have met those thresholds, which was ostensibly 65% to 75%, then those parts would be deemed to be 100% compliant in the vehicle calculation.

International Trade committee  I've said publicly, I've said privately and since last October I've been saying to the various departments of government that are responsible for this that we need to be in sync with the Americans. Eighty per cent of the market for our finished goods is the American market. I think the Americans understand it to mean that we have access to their market and that we need to protect access of their goods to our market.

International Trade committee  We spend a lot of time with our counterparts in the U.S., as well as in Mexico, in a coordinated effort to align our messaging. Parts suppliers in all three countries really have the same dynamics. We're all trying to serve carmakers that are selling to an American consumer. I think the Canadian embassy has done a very good job, including the trade commissioner service, which serves the various auto states in coordinating the message that we do all this work together.

International Trade committee  Thank you. We don't have to look too far to understand why having one bridge privately owned by a foreign entity is an issue. In terms of the volume of traffic that could get across the Ambassador Bridge, the decision to widen that bridge comes from a private party. For years, I think the industry has said that it would benefit from that.

International Trade committee  Thank you, Chair. Thank you, members of the committee. Thank you to the staff of CIIT for inviting the APMA back again to talk about our favourite topic—trade within the Americas. The Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association is the national association representing automotive suppliers to the global original equipment makers or carmakers market.

Public Safety committee  First, let me say thank you on the Build Back Better.... I know you burned up the lines between Ottawa and Washington, D.C. The industry thanks you for your effort there as well. Yes, that technology does exist, and it is installed in most, if not all, of the new vehicles. I'll just use the anecdote of the current vehicle that I'm trying to get tracked through law enforcement.

Public Safety committee  Sure, that technology is available and in many cases is deployed by automakers around the world, and it is increasingly demanded by automakers in their relationship with law enforcement where they're sharing data. Those automakers then share that data, and that drives the R and D and procurement with suppliers.

Public Safety committee  I certainly am not the technical last word, but anything that goes out over the airwaves can be intercepted. In some cases, criminal motivations are just as strong as commercial motivations.

Public Safety committee  Mr. McKinnon, you sound smarter than me, but I'll say this: Electrified vehicles, especially, are becoming 400- and 800-volt platforms that can platform all kinds of applied technology. The vehicles themselves have more code in them than commercial airliners. It is the latest and the best technology, including encryption technology, that goes out in vehicles these days.