Thank you very much, Madam Chair, and thank you to all of our presenters.
The softwood lumber dispute has been before us for many years. I'm from Sault Ste. Marie. The provincial Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry is located in the Roberta Bondar building where I used to work at the Ministry of Labour, Training and Skills Development, and the Ministry of Northern Development and Mines, so I've had quite a few coffees with some of the folks who worked for the province in this dispute that was going on and on. They explained to me simplistically that in Ontario, and it would seem probably other places in Canada, some of the logs that are being forested are located on Crown property as opposed to the American— as they would call them—lumber barons, some folks, a small group of them, who have a monopoly. They really seem to control the political agenda, no matter what government seems to be there, through their efforts.
What's really unfair is what all this does.... The demand seems to be high, the Americans continue to build, they need logs, they need wood, they continue to purchase it with these American tariffs on it. What this results in is a tax. They're taxing themselves. They're taxing the middle class, as we call it, and the folks who are working hard to join it who are particularly hit hard.
Would any of you have any of the data on exactly how much, in dollars, these tariffs are resulting in for American houses? I don't know if Derek or anybody would have that, and if you don't, perhaps could you get it to us?