Strada 92 wrote:After 'archive/', it's april2009/20/c3089.html to complete the link.
sorry again.
I also couldn't directly address to the article...so found it via a search on that site. Anyway, here's what it says (bolding near bottom I added)....and here's a link to the crazy-slick looking "This is War" report it refers to:
http://www.cada.ca/Uploads/PDFS/public/ ... _Drive.pdf
You now have a clear target/enemy so go forth and write to Transport Canada (cc your MP) with a point-by-point refute of the erroneous and misleading propaganda it contains.
Dealers Address Automotive Crisis, Call for a National Vehicle Scrappage Program
OTTAWA, April 20 /CNW Telbec/ - Today on Parliament Hill, the Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) renewed its call for the implementation of a robust vehicle scrappage program at the federal level. Since November of last year, vehicle sales have been in steep decline in Canada and all of the other measures taken in support of the auto industry to date could be for naught if the demand side of the issue is not addressed. A fleet renewal program that is more signifigant than the current $300 program would do much to stimulate sales in Canada.
"We congratulate the federal government in its recent efforts to stabilize Canada's auto sector," said Bill Taylor, CADA's Chairman, "but more must be done to address the issue of declining sales across Canada. Without robust demand in the marketplace and showrooms full of potential buyers, we fear that the investments that have already been made may not have the desired effect of stabilizing the industry."
Mr. Taylor congratulated the government on the announcement of the $12 billion Canadian Secured Credit Facility (CSCF), from the 2009 Federal Budget. CADA communicated the need for just such a facility in the pre-budget period, and the government delivered. Now the program must be designed and rolled out as quickly as possible, he said.
"Despite record-low interest rate reductions from the Bank of Canada, commercial banks have not been open for business for months for our dealers. This is not acceptable or sustainable. The CSCF should help ease tightening credit conditions facing Canada's dealers and consumers, but the money needs to flow immediately," said Mr. Taylor. "If this program were combined with a fleet renewal program worth $3,000 for the retirement of an old vehicle, the effect on sales would be immediate. Germany's program, for example - worth 2,500 Euros - has increased sales in that country by some 300,000 units."
The overriding problem facing Canada's vehicle industry is a lack of sales. A comprehensive national scrappage program would address this issue by stimulating additional sales of new vehicles this year. Scrappage programs remove old vehicles from the road and replace them with new ones, refreshing the national vehicle fleet more quickly than the unregulated market's rate of attrition would allow. In addition to the economic benefits stemming from a healthy automotive retail sector, scrappage programs also offer numerous environmental benefits and could play an important role in helping our nation reduce its climatic impact, since older cars pollute as much as 37 times as
much as a new car.
"An aggressive scrappage program would help achieve much sought-after dual economic-environmental policy objectives," continued Mr. Taylor. "It would be the perfect policy to prove that economic growth and environmental protection are not mutually exclusive. When policies are designed properly, these important goals can be addressed in conjunction with one another."
CADA has also urged the government to close regulatory loopholes that allow several thousand right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles on to Canada's roads despite the fact that they do not comply with the Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. These vehicles pose a risk to Canadian citizens and undermine the pursuit of Canada's safety and environmental goals. The details of the RHD safety and environmental concerns are addressed in a new CADA report.
The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) is the national association for franchised automobile dealerships that sell new cars and trucks. Our 3,500 dealers represent a key sector of Canada's economy. Through our dealers, we are represented in nearly every community and those dealers collectively employ over 140,000 people across the country.
For further information: Kate Poirier, CADA Public Affairs, (613)
230-2079, Cell: (613) 889-3846,
kate@cada.ca
When my deli's gone I'll be looking to Japan for its replacement...