Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Minister, for coming today.
We talked to the Minister of International Trade previously about a softwood lumber agreement. She gave us the impression that negotiations were happening. Then we saw the May 16 Reuters article. There was a quote from Katherine Tai, the U.S. trade representative, who told U.S. senators:
despite higher prices, the fundamental dispute remains
—and this is between Canada and the U.S.—
and there have been no talks on a new lumber quota arrangement. In order to have an agreement and in order to have a negotiation, you need to have a partner. And thus far, the Canadians have not expressed interest in engaging.
Can you just speak to that, Minister? Are you aware of whether or not there is a negotiation going on?