Mr. Speaker, a few days ago some softwood lumber mills across Canada found out that the government is putting them out of business. They were expecting to have their exports to the United States cut by 10 per cent. They were not expecting to have to close their doors altogether.
The lumber deal the government signed with the United States is a death warrant for some small mills in this country. The industry would have been better off with the American countervailing duty at the border. The mills would have survived and then we would be well on our way to a settlement with the World Trade Organization, a solution that we recommended to the government seven months ago.
This problem has developed because the Liberal government has been afraid to take on the United States. It has buckled to American
pressure. Unfortunately, the price will be paid by employees and owners of small mills across Canada.
So much for the red book. Jobs, jobs, jobs will be lost, lost, lost.