Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Minister, and thank you for being here at the Finance Committee. You quoted a group that came out in favour of the budget measures you have proposed to stimulate the economy. Well, since this morning, we have heard a number of groups tell us the opposite, and we are going to hear from others today. For example, the Québec Forest Industry Council completely disagrees with the $170 million that you are allocating across Canada while it has been asking for loan guarantees for a sector that has been in crisis since 2005.
How do you explain that the Government of Quebec, through Investissement Québec, can provide loan guarantees to Quebec forestry companies while you answer our questions on the subject by saying that the softwood lumber agreement does not allow it? How can one government do it while another cannot? A lot of people need that explained to them. Why is the federal government not providing adequate assistance to the forest industry in Quebec when it is going through a major crisis?