Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.
We are talking about the future of this industry and its past achievements. However, as far as the number of employees is concerned, it turns out that you often need fewer workers because of technological advances. Restructuring, mergers and acquisitions have changed the nature of the business. Do you believe that ultimately this industry will need fewer employees? Most economists have predicted that the manufacturing sector in general would shed another 100,000 jobs. At the end of this process, although the industry might be more competitive and more productive, it may employ fewer people because its manpower requirements will decrease. Further, in many cases, you will pull out of single industry towns.
I remember having read a report which predicted that, given the elimination of stumpage fees in Quebec and other problems the industry was facing, potentially 70 single industry towns through out Canada might close down. I would like to know what you think the future looks like. When this happens, this often does not affect the health of the industry, but it certainly deeply affects the lives of people. So what do you think the future looks like?