I think that's a good segue to the topic that we've been leading. There is that value, in terms of those tariffs that are out there.... We sincerely believe that at some point there's going to be a deal. There's going to be a measure of those duties that they've paid. My counterpart, Ms. Rasmussen, mentioned that NorSask Forest Products, a relatively small company, has paid a monumental amount of money, $14 million, that could go back into investment in their communities. It could go back to the workers. It could go back to making the company a more competitive operation.
With that amount of money, that capital that's out there, if we could have the federal government play a role in terms of ensuring that smaller operations have access.... Indeed, you'd have to be fair and offer it to all operations, but the bigger players have to be restricted in what they invest in. I don't think they should be able to take advantage of federal government programs to further invest in the U.S. south, let's say, as they did last time, after the beginning of the 2006-07 softwood agreement. They got the money back and they then invested abroad into other markets. I don't think that benefits Canadian workers or communities in any way, shape or form.
I think a robust investment or loans program by the federal government to the industry, based on those duties, would go a long way to helping, especially these smaller players. As much as we talk about the CanFors and the West Frasers, and the Resolutes, the bigger players in the industry, there still are the so-called mom-and-pop industries, the smaller players that employ 30, 40, 80 workers at good-paying jobs.
Those smaller industries need our support and need the federal government's support. I think this addition would go a long way in helping that.