Thank you, Madam Chair.
Let's move on now.
The Québec Forest Industry Council represents all lumber, veneer, panel manufacturing, pulp and paper, cardboard and engineered wood companies, as well as merchandise and equipment producers and research firms. All of these activities enable the Quebec forest sector to support 130,000 jobs in Quebec, produce exports valued at $12 billion, contribute $17.8 billion to the gross domestic product, generate tax and other levies amounting to $6 billion of which $2 billion goes to the federal government, and support the economic activity and vitality of over 900 municipalities in Quebec.
We are here today to talk about the fifth softwood lumber dispute, which started on November 25, 2016, with the filing of the petition by the US Lumber Coalition. We are thus entering the ninth year of this dispute. To date, that amounts to very nearly $10 billion in duty deposits for all of Canada and over $2 billion for Quebec.
Despite all this time—for nearly eight years—there has been no judgment to bring back the portion of the duty deposits that was very unfairly paid by Quebec and Canadian mills. Despite all the provisions made in the North American Free Trade Agreement and the Canada—United States—Mexico agreement, and despite the provisions calling for 315 days between when a complaint is filed and when it is heard and analyzed and a decision issued, nearly six years have passed since 2017‑18 and not a single dollar has come back yet.
This is hurting the economies of Quebec and Canada. The companies have had to spend money to produce their wood that was exported to the United States, but they have not received the revenue that should have resulted, because that revenue has been blocked at the border since 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. The years have all added up, and the total for the years as they pass is hurting our social safety net, because the governments of Quebec and Canada have been unable to collect tax on those funds and use it to support our social model.
We find ourselves today in a situation where no decision has yet been made. There is definitely a problem with the way the panels work and Canada's ability to appoint people to hear cases. I have even recommended that there be a school to train people to play this role, the problem is so bad. If there is no panel, there is no decision.
Behind it all, the dispute is also hurting American consumers. Because the United States is not self-sufficient in lumber, cardboard, paper and panels, Canadian products are needed there. Despite what the US Lumber Coalition may say—that a small number of new mills actually have been opened in the American industry—the net effect is that the industry meets about 70% of Americans' needs. The United States therefore needs wood and products from Canada.
Black Friday, the festival of cardboard boxes, has just ended. Christmas is around the corner. Christmas without wrapping paper, without boxes, without all the trimmings that come from the forest industry, is difficult for the economy. During the COVID‑19 crisis, we saw the importance of the forest industry for meeting our society's basic needs. So this presents a problem for jobs in Canada, for the communities in our country, and for Canadian consumers.
I would say that it essential to be able to appoint people to sit on panels and enforce the agreement signed by both parties. It is essential for the Canadian economy.
I will be happy to answer questions.