You are most humble, Mr. Chair.
Thank you very much, Mr. Minister, for showing up and making this session out of camera.
I'd like to read a quote from someone:
I would seek a clear commitment of the United States to comply with the NAFTA ruling. If the Canada-U.S. trade relationship is to remain a fair, stable, rules-based system, then the United States has a moral obligation to return those duties to Canadian lumber companies.
There can be no question of Canada returning to a conventional bargaining table, as the U.S. Ambassador has suggested.
You don't negotiate after you've won.
The issue is compliance.
And achieving full compliance should be the objective of the Prime Minister.
I would also not hesitate to point out that Canada possesses the right to retaliate in the case of non-compliance.
That was quoted from the Prime Minister in September 2005.
Mr. Minister, I have two questions. In your view, is half compliance like being half pregnant under the NAFTA deal? Secondly, what sort of a precedent does this establish for future NAFTA agreements? Is it for Canada to recover less now and in the future?
These are the types of questions that are being asked in my riding. These are the types of questions I'm hearing from Canadians who are calling in from all over and from people I'm meeting with as well. Maybe you can shed some light on this.