I can't speak for the companies, but I presume that they are not happy with the settlement that is now on the table. I should say that our organization is present throughout Quebec and that thousands of Quebec workers are unhappy. The softwood lumber crisis has had serious consequences for many families and regional communities. I could cite the example of residents of Lebel-sur-Quévillon, who directly depend on the forest industry. Recently, the community of Saint-Michel-des-Saints found itself in the same situation.
In our opinion, the softwood lumber issue has resulted in job losses. In Quebec alone, almost 7,700 jobs have been lost. We can assume that 7,700 further jobs will be lost in the coming months.
The softwood lumber issue is one of the factors behind these job losses, factors that include the value of the Canadian dollar, the cost of fibre in Quebec and the Coulombe Commission report. But this is an additional element that only proves that the workers of Quebec are right. We are asking the federal government to provide economic support to all communities and to support workers through special programming.
Many people believe that this crisis is unprecedented for the industry, including in Quebec. And if it is an unprecedented crisis for the Quebec industry, it is also an unprecedented crisis for all Quebec workers. The fact remains that workers contributed to the $5 billion squeezed out of us by the Americans. Unfortunately, there are no measures there to support workers. Every day we speak to alarmed workers who are begging the Canadian government to take immediate and urgent steps to support their economic activity as a whole.