For our part, during the pandemic, softwood lumber had some very good years: Prices were very high and production rates were high. However, since the 2023 wildfires, the situation has become much more problematic. Our members are experiencing uncertainty and temporary job losses, not really knowing when business will pick up. Many of them have used up their employment insurance, given the successive job losses.
In fact, we've seen this in all sectors. We represent contractors and forestry equipment operators, among others, who have to buy equipment that costs $3 million, $4 million or even $5 million. They have big mortgages, and that puts a huge strain on them. We represent people who work in almost single-industry communities and earn their living from their sawmills and the forest.
If the current uncertainty and job losses continue, we know full well that we'll no longer be able to ask our members to wait. Traditionally, they were used to having a few weeks off in a year. Everyone was fine with it, but now the situation is getting so out of hand that they're starting to desert the sector. If we don't find a solution quickly, we'll no longer be able to inspire hope among our members by telling them that they need to hang on. They're going to go somewhere else, and we won't be able to get them back. We may find them in other industrial settings, since we represent people in 23 industrial settings, but it will be a disaster for this sector.
Mr. Verreault's solution is excellent, as long as it keeps people working. That's the first of the conditions. If we keep people at work, they no longer need employment insurance and we no longer need—