Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being with us this morning to explain this very important piece of legislation, for both Canada and Quebec. I take great pride in the fact that the Bloc Québécois was the party that proposed this bill.
I think it's a shame that my NDP colleague is away today, because if we are talking about wood, we are necessarily talking about wood for framing, about finished lumber, and about carpenters. I believe that my NDP colleague was a carpenter, and I am certain that he would understand the importance of what you are proposing this morning.
As regards the bill and our discussion of it here in Committee, the argument that has been heard repeatedly—and I quote from the summary here—is that this will “give preference to the concept that promotes the use of wood”. It is the expression “give preference” that seems to scare a lot of people sitting at this table.
Could one of you possibly explain that the expression “give preference to”—and I'm not sure whether the English translation elicits the same kind of fearful reaction—does not mean that wood will be used ahead of any other product, but rather, that wood will be on an equal footing with other products? As I see it, that is the important point here.