Thank you.
With regard to the two billion trees, I'll be honest with you, Mr. Minister: The people we've talked to have been quite cynical about it over the past few years. It demonstrates the federal government's blatant lack of support for the forest industry, since those trees can't be used for commercial purposes because of our dispute with the United States. Many people back home have simply stopped listening to the government when it talks about this.
However, that's not what I want to come back to.
In your statement, you alluded to the worst wildfire season ever. The measures you put in place left out something very important: small logging companies. They play a crucial role in the forestry sector in Quebec. Last year, they weren't able to enter the forest in a timely manner, which meant they had to deal with very high preparation costs. These small businesses have no support. We've had many meetings with them, and what they need is a liquidity program to get them through that period when they have to get out of the forest due to a fire but still need to pay for their equipment, which is very expensive.
Was that part of your thinking for fighting forest fires?