Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I just wish, without any attempt to be antagonistic, to address one of Mr. Harris's points with respect to the importance of this issue to the Liberal Party.
My colleague from Thunder Bay--Rainy River, Mr. Boshcoff, and another colleague, the member for Kenora, Roger Valley, have been absolutely relentless about advancing this issue. They have continually stressed to their colleagues--and I dare say to members opposite--the importance to their respective communities of the forestry industry and the unprecedented difficulties that the forestry sector is facing. I know, for instance, that Mayor Len Compton of Kenora is very anxious to come before the committee at the request of Mr. Valley to present, so it's very important.
With respect to Mr. Harris's suggestion that we see the issue of the nuclear agency as more important than the forestry industry, we do not see it as more important. It is not more important, but the members opposite did agree to a special meeting on January 15 and a second special meeting on January 16. I think members opposite--the government members--understood the gravity of the situation. We wanted, as an opposition party, to have further special meetings prior to returning to Ottawa on January 28. We requested an opportunity to have two meetings during the week of January 21. We met with considerable resistance about the scheduling of those meetings, so that necessitated a meeting this week--January 29--and two additional meetings next week to, in the wise words of Mr. Trost, do the job properly or not do it at all. Two additional meetings on the nuclear issue will allow us to have done the job properly, and I think Mr. Trost is wise in his suggestion that we do the job properly.
So I speak very much in favour of the motion. We are very anxious, as an opposition party, to get to the forestry study as soon as possible, Mr. Chair.