In recent months, I noted that the new government had given its ambassador in Washington a clear mandate and had provided him with the support of an exceptionally qualified team of people, with a view to holding consultations with stakeholders—in other words, the largest companies and representatives of the governments of the most affected provinces, including Quebec. I noted that the timeline was followed in a rigourous and exacting manner. Where trade matters are concerned, it is impossible to make everyone happy. However, I do know that some Quebec companies followed the negotiations very, very closely, supported the agreement in principle reached on April 27, and later expressed concerns about certain aspects of the legal texts that were provided subsequently, on June 29 and July 1. Following that, although the federal government had said the negotiations were over, it was nonetheless successful in securing a number of commitments from the U.S. government. While that was going on, the Association de la recherche industrielle du Québec was in discussions with the U.S. coalition regarding forestry policies, as opposed to softwood lumber policies, in relation to the anti-circumvention measures.
Under the circumstances and given that this was a difficult, complex and politically charged issue, particularly in the United States, I believe they did an extremely good job. Personally, I'm delighted with the results, and the Government of Quebec is satisfied.