International Trade committee  I think those were very helpful. I would also say that there was through that whole period a lot of conversations about the need for better bilateral relations with Japan, and action was initiated during that period.

International Trade committee  Again, anything that affects costs of production ultimately affects the competitive position of manufacturing operations back and forth. It comes down to what sorts of issues are being taken in the other trading jurisdictions with which we have a primary relationship. If Canada moves by itself, then it's bound to have an impact on manufacturing competitiveness.

International Trade committee  Let me go back in time. I think a lot of water is under the bridge since the original free trade agreement was signed, but I would say to you that high content rules of origin in the original Canada-U.S. agreement actually worked against Canada in attracting new automotive investment.

International Trade committee  There are two things we would tell you, and it goes back in our history, and that is, manufacturing follows sales. The greater the opportunity for us to reach a market, the greater the opportunity there is for us to build manufacturing. This has been our history. The other aspect of this is that keeping the NAFTA rules in place has often been touted as what will save the Canadian industry.

International Trade committee  Could I respond to that? I think if you look back over the last number of years, the single biggest impact we've had in the Canadian auto industry was when the Canadian dollar peaked above the U.S. dollar, and that was at a time when the U.S. government was practising a number of economic tools designed to adjust the value of the U.S. dollar.