Thank you very much, Mr. Cardin; you have just given me an idea. You said that we might have three minutes to vote. So, I will take that time the next time we vote, although I'm sure he was joking.
Mr. Chairman, this is a question of principle. The Parliamentary Secretary mentioned that people are not concerned about the fact that there have been no consultations. Only someone who is completely and totally unaware of what has gone on in the softwood lumber industry since the end of April could make such a statement. Nothing but concern has been expressed. Throughout the summer, the Quebec industry said quite clearly, through a vote of 35 to 12, that the Agreement signed in early summer was in the interests of neither the Quebec industry nor the industries in provinces like Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
There was no consultation either with the provinces or the industry, but there was some bargaining. A small amount of money has been promised for another project in certain provinces in exchange for their support, because the situation is disastrous from a political standpoint. The vast majority of Canadians reject this Agreement. The vast majority of Quebeckers understand that we should not end up in a situation where we are losing jobs. That has been the case in recent weeks: we have lost 1,700 jobs in the Abitibi, in the Saguenay—Lac-Saint-Jean area, and on the North Shore. Yet the provincial government is completely powerless. It cannot come to the assistance of the forest industry because of anti-circumvention provisions contained in both the Agreement and this legislation.
As a result, the Charest government has been forced to limit itself to providing assistance for roads, and possibly for older workers. That's all it can do. It said so quite clearly when it brought forward its last-ditch plan, given what the softwood industry is currently experiencing. He said he is concerned that the Americans will use the anti-circumvention provisions. That is quite clear, Mr. Chairman. The Government of Quebec can do nothing because of what was negotiated by the federal government. So, the Government of Quebec and the governments of the other provinces must be consulted, rather than having things imposed upon them. This Bill has not been drafted in the interests of the provinces, except as regards the money coming back to them.